Paul Schierling

February 6, 2016
Prof. Padgett
ENGL 102: Rhetoric and Composition
How does the information published by various fields of media affect peoples morality?
Today there is a growing attention on violence, corruption, and injustice. With such so much
media attention on these topics, are people being exposed to proper morals and ethics. From

Comment [SS1]: I think this will be interesting to research,

and you will be able to find a lot of information on it. The
question is kind of broad so it gives you a lot of room to
work, but as you get into your research, it may help to make
it a little more specific.
Comment [SS2]: The word such needs to be removed.

news coverage to blockbuster movies, to the hottest music out; the media has a heavy hand on
the public's perception of reality. Are people becoming desensitized by hearing about murder
and scandal on the nightly news and morning post, and is this desensitization create an
environment where crime and immorality prevail? Over the past decade, movies have become
darker in tone, while presenting less ethical subject matter. Are these commercial films, seen by
millions of Americans, cultivating a culture to share a similar ideology? The big record labels

Comment [SS3]: I feel like this sounds a bit repetitive, and

you could probably find another word to replace cultivating.

have found a formula that sells music and fills concert halls. Music artist these days rarely leave
the topic of materialism, sodomy, drug abuse, dipsomania, and violence. Does the debauched
lyrics of musicians these days inspire the listener to emulate that lifestyle? The news, film, and
music have the power to not only percent information but to enact social change. With this

Comment [SS4]: present

power, and a continual presentation of villainous content, could one say that the media is
breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics. Many acts such robbery,
rape, and fighting are becoming a bigger problem on college campuses. Is this because every
new class of students could have a deteriorated morality; possibly due to increased exposure to
the more dismal and sinful matter?
Sources:

Comment [SS5]: I like how you present the reader with

different questions throughout this paragraph, but there
may be more questions than necessary. You could maybe
rewrite a couple of them to make them statements instead.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/05/27/decline-morality-in-america.html
A report of both republicans and democrats says that roughly 80% of both parties
believes that the morality of the American population is only fair to down right poor, where 40
years ago only 33% believed that. With the elimination of religious studies in public school,
students are no longer learning concrete moral values. With more single parents, children are
now left alone to television and the internet to learn moral values through questionable sources.
Porn and violent video games are now both multi-billion dollar industries that stretch across most
Americans. This article provides the issue, American immorality, and identifies five major
factors that contribute to it: public schools, parenting, peer pressure, commercial industries, and

Comment [SS6]: I think you are making really good points,

but you might be able to adjust some of your sentence
structure to make your points even stronger and better
presented.

religion. The article provides a sense of unity by showing a bipartisan agreement on the issue, as
well as statistics that back up his claim. My research question focused primarily on the outside
influences of media while the Fox News article focuses on that in addition to more religious and
social aspects. But, both of our articles agree in the sense that there is a decline in American
morality through the media. This article can back of the problem in my essay while using more
in-depth article to help define the source of the problem.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/violence-in-movies-a-concern-whether-its-pg-13-r-film-study/
Violent movie characters who engage in sex and drinking are no longer contained in Rrated movies and are now quite apparent in PG-13 rated movies. This is showing that the
modern film rating system is not longer significant, given that R-rated movies and PG-13 rated
movies are sharing similar messages. Factors in the rating of movies range from violence, sex,
language, and drug use. The purpose to rate films is to guide parents in taking their children to
films. With the rating system decreasing in value and importance, children will be taken to
movies, that may not be best for their emotional development, but, more importantly, important

Comment [SS7]: I think you could re-word this to make it

flow a little more smoothly.

for their moral development. The article provides important information on movie rating and
how the come up with the ratings. Addition article will further support the claims made in this
article. Film, a major portion of the media market, provides one of the largest sources of easily
accessible violent activity. This article supports the first part of my thesis that the information
present has taken on a more violent and immoral twist, while the second half of the implications,
can be found in a second article.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/media-coverage-terrorism-further-violence
The time and attention that major media puts on past acts of violence are now showing
that it sparks future acts of violence. Today, when an initial story surfaces about a terrorist
attack or any violent attack, people believe that it will be followed by future related acts.

In the

past 15 years, the amount of causalities resulting from violent attacks has increased by 400%.
One attack reported in the New York Times of a foreign country was followed by a week of
increased crime of 11%-15%. The major values of this article are centered around the amount of
media attention that violent acts receive. Also, this article, more importantly, talks about how
these article of acts of terror, almost inspire future terrorist. This article strongly supports my
thesis, it agrees in what the problem is, as well as what the source of the problem is. This
articles author believes that there are many violent acts, acts due to the media's infatuation with
crime related articles.
Additional Source:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/recent-pg-13-movies-feature-more-gun-violence-than-r-ratedfilms-study/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5390075

Comment [SS8]: I think this a really strong statistic, and it

grabs the attention of the reader. I think using more strong
statistical evidence will be good for your argument.

This question allows for me to look a problem that I believe is damaging this countrys
ability to grow. This question is researchable because it has drawn attention from many renown
authors and many incidents relate to it, and by connecting related events, this research question
can be either proven or rejected. All the sources that I read agree that there is either growing
violence or immorality. The articles dont disagree on the source of this turmoil but address it
from different angles. All the article, by suggesting that there is a problem, say that there needs
to be a solution, and by addressing my research question, I hope to find a possible solution. My
research question now is broad and very deep, some part cannot be calculated with a number or
proven with tangible proof so a slimmer question might be beneficial.

Comment [SS9]: I noted this before, but after reading your

paper, I agree that a more specific question may be
beneficial.