The Power Possessed By the Media
What nourishes me
destroys me
I love my sport from tennis to
soccer even the NBA, it had a great deal in influencing my chosen field of
study. So I listen attentively to sport news on TV, I cannot begin to describe
the joy that field my heart when San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami heats for the
NBA Championship. I think the heats have been ruling for so long now.
As a sport fanatic and the sports calender full as it was I could not help but pay close attention to the Oscar trial. Never saw the day of the conclusion of this trial so close as
it is now, which makes me just realize how much time flies. I was so caught up
in my school work that I just didn't notice that time was passing so fast, but
I did keep a lot of my attention glued to the buzz created by the media around this trial. To notice and
observe how tremendous influence the media has on the public mostly South
African citizens.
 |
| source: google.com |
 |
| source: REUTERS |
He was
once the country's GOLDEN BOY who overcame severe physical and social obstacles to achieve sport greatness, he was our pride and we definitely celebrated him. He was a great symbol of determination and resilience. As a public relations student I could not help but be fascinated about the different angles the media chose to report the version of events. As I followed the trial closely on eNCA (www.enca.com/), I got a first class experience into how much power the media has. It had a great deal of impact in his rise to stardom but it’s also an arena where villains are made.
The media has in my opinion sensationalized it to the best extent
they could. I mean they never fall short of doing that to every story. It brought the worlds focus into as small city in South Africa not
to mention having its own channel and been broadcast-ed live, that on its own is
amazing. It created a media buzz and it’s fair to say that many have made up
their minds on whether he is guilty or not.
Now as a public relations
practitioner in training am most fascinated by the damage that has been done to
his image: I mean what will happen if he is found guilty or otherwise?. Now as
a media student I am curious as to whether he will be thrown into the trash bin
of sporting history with the like of OJ Simpson and the recently disgraced
cyclist icon Lance Armstrong? Or will he be given a second chance? Is such a
damage to a reputation realistically fixable? No matter the verdict this trial
will go down into history books as one that shook the world and I believe the world will be at stand still when Judge Masipa delivers her verdict on the 11th of September.
Your comments are welcomed
what i know is if his found guilty his reputation will be ruined and once his out of jail he has to work hard and rebuild his reputation so that he can gain the trust of is fans supporters.
ReplyDeletetheorically he can attempt to rebuild his image, it going to be a challenge for the person who is tasked to handle his reputaion.
DeleteWhat I can say about Oscar and his trial is that his reputation is already ruined so all we have to do now is to wait for the 11th of September to know his fait.
ReplyDeleteTrue a lot will be dertemine by the judges verdict.
DeleteWell all i can say is good lawyers wins deep end cases, anything can happen but at the end of the day he is human and made a mistake
ReplyDeleteSo you believe I second chance, but do you think the public out there will show mercy if his found guilty? I mean we should be sensitive to violence against women.
DeleteI think Oscars reputation is tarnished, Whether he is found guilt or not, He will be remembered as 'South Africa's golden with a fallen trophy'.
ReplyDeleteHis contribution to SA sport in appreciated and we needed a role model like him. Unfortunate for a a great symbol of sportsmanship to go down the drain just like that.
Deletethe media is a very powerful source of information and they can make you or break you. In Oscars case has the media has thrown him the trash bin and his reputation is ruined.
ReplyDeleteMany do underestimate the power the media has on our perception, its a tool not to be taken lightly.
DeleteI feel that this case has consumed a lot of resources not mentioning time and effort used by the law state due to the power that the media enacts because this is regarded as a high profiled case thus the media is continuously endorsing Oscar reputation that has long gone deflated. I say Oscar dear! get over it accept your sins brother couz you seen peripheral in the public domain eyes.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point of view you have. This is a high profile case as you just said, and its in the states own rights to acquire the relevant resources in the sake of justice, this is because the is a lot at stake and there is no room for mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThe Oscar trial has massive influence on the external public and his reputation has already been damaged regardless of whether he wins the case or not.
ReplyDeleteTiger Woods reputation was hugely destroyed when he cheated on his wife but they managed to build it positively again, but i dot see this happening with Oscar because of the merits of his case. But i do feel that if he is found not guilty he does stand a chance of getting a second chance in terms of his image.
DeleteOscar has Completely ruined he's brand and reputation
DeleteI believe that pr has the power to rebuild his reputation if only he is not found guilty.
ReplyDeleteTrue, most probabilities rest on the outcome of the case.
DeleteI don't think his reputation can fixed or redeemed in any way.
ReplyDeleteYou might be surprised there have been many reputations that have suffered such damage but have been rebuild or fixed.
ReplyDelete