Bill Kunkel: Video Games, Marvel, and Wrestling.

    Bill Kunkel was born in July of 1950; He was a huge geek who loved sci-fi and comic books and attended comic-cons regularly, He eventually met a man by the name of Danny O'Neil, they became great friends and eventually Kunkel secured a job of writing comics for DC and Marvel, creating many series and characters that are now collectables and can be found in comic stores across the US.

    Alongside his job at marvel, Bill Kunkel also delved into Journalism in the industry of Professional Wrestling, working with the WWWF alongside his colleagues Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley (now known as WWE) and sold most of his works through the concession stands at the events, He eventually became one of the most important journalists in wrestling at the time and attended many east coast events including ones at Madison Square Garden and The Philly Spectrum.

    Eventually his colleagues all found out they had a common passion for the "new era" of tech at the time, Video Games. In 1978, they all approached a magazine and brought the idea of writing a sort of "weekly article" deemed "Arcade Alley", and while the editor seemed skeptical of the niche interest at first, it was largely successful and proved to be the turning point for Kunkel's career, In 1981 they launched a new magazine titled "Electronic Games" and it was the first magazine to be devoted entirely to video games, It was immensely successful and ran for over 20 years before ending publication. 

    After the pioneering of Video Game Journalism by Bill Kunkel, in today's society he is one of the most recognized and respected pioneers of the game industry, Without Kunkel it is extremely likely that majority of America would have not been able to experience the thrill of reading an article about a new game that's coming out and wait outside the game store to buy it, Similar to how in my childhood I would see the trailer for a new game and then read about its premiere at E3. With the era of home gaming
systems and video games becoming more and more tightly packaged and expandable, it was inevitable that with the pioneering of the Internet and WWW in the 90s that the magazine would end, But Kunkel's legacy is not just the magazine, Wrestling journalism, Or his comics.

    When Kunkel left his work, He knew he was given the proud title of "journalistic pioneer" and held that title with immense pride, Everywhere he walked he may have not been recognized by people, But to the greater good of the industry with adults and children alike across the globe, He was deemed the "Grandfather of game journalism", He eventually pioneered the industry with his idea of the "Kunkel Award", He figured out that if he was able to pioneer the niche of game journalism, He could expand it by awarding those that followed his idea. This expanded rapidly as well, eventually the Game Awards event was developed for games alone as its own million-dollar franchise, rising with the home video games industry and journalism industry.

    The next time you read an article online or watch a trailer for a game, it's quite amazing to think back to when magazines was the key way most people found out about games, With the rapid rise of tech and video games it's quite amazing to think that when Kunkel started his article it was considered a niche and new idea, Nowadays there are millions and billions of dollars poured into the game industry yearly and some games even generate more money than the box office does, This week the Mario Movie announced it grossed nearly 300 million in revenue in its second week, While Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022), Amassed nearly 1 billion in revenue. And the rise of video games has grown in the span of around 40 years, While television has been around for much longer, If video games grew so quickly it's amazing to imagine what the next development and pioneer will be.

Bill Kunkel (journalist) - Wikipedia

List of box office records set by Avatar - Wikipedia

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Hits $1 Billion In Revenue In 10 Days, Faster Than Any Past CoD Title - GameSpot

"Good Night and Good Luck"

 The movie "Good Night and Good Luck" delves into the McCarty era where the country experienced the second red scare, when many people feared degradation and citizenship revocation due to accusations of communist "security risks." Journalism and First Amendment violations were extremely common, and this led to journalists worrying about reporting the violations due to fear of being outlawed and deported. 

    This movie specifically outlines when the CBS Television network airs news episodes that outline the violations, despite the fear of jailtime or deportation. It also uses real clips which helps the movie feel accurately represented, one story that became particularly infamous is how they outlined an Air Force Lieutenant was discharged and jailed for suspicion of communism despite the fact that the captain and the public never saw the envelope, nor was there a court case, they were thrown directly into prison.

    They were threatened by the lead supervisor and decided to do an episode specifically on McCarthy, no matter the risk, they analyze footage and put as much work into tiptoeing the line of jail as possible, this is a great way of visualizing and explaining how the journalism process worked in the second red scare, Many news outlets were struggling to report on the events without getting ridiculed by McCarthy, They had to resort to not reporting them at all, Which is a very big and good example of Prior Restraint, Which is a major violation of the first amendment.

    The airing was mostly successful, With the higher up of CBS saying they agree and are alongside the message, essentially starting to make the public get a sense of union that could help defeat the red scare and bring back America to its normal self again. This led to the newsroom receiving a letter which reindicted the Air Force Lieutenant and brought a sense of curiosity in the public. Essentially after the newsroom started to report on the red scare, it was like a match in a fuel tank and created a chain reaction.

McCarthyism and the Red Scare | Miller Center    

When and how did McCarthyism end? | Britannica

McCarthyism | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

EOTO 2 Summary

     After having watched many presentations on types of journalism, I have realized that journalism has evolved to accommodate a lot more than it originally did, we now have sports journalism, celebrity journalism, gotcha journalism, and so much more. Society is able to receive news about any topic they wish thanks to these methods, but they can also lead to bias and heavy political siding.

    One of the most influential and important types of journalism we see today is gotcha journalism, this can spread misinformation or false news like wildfire or create an outright bad image, something as simple as refusing to answer a question due to lack of a proper informed response can make people think they aren't answering due to fear of exposure or disdain.

    Another type of journalism I found pretty interesting was tabloids, A lot of people usually see these in the store and just disregard them as false information, but to some less informed people who don't know much better, they see it as true and delve into research, by looking up a tabloids title, it usually will show the same biased or outright false results. Just because someone believes a tabloid, that doesn't mean it's too concerning, what can make it concerning is if they can vote, if enough people believe the lie, it could influence an election or a bill, even though it's a complete lie, this could be a very big case of defamation and it has definitely happened before.

    In summary, Journalism has many different methods and types, some are very good and have helped journalism become as important as it is now, some have become very bad though and harm society's view on journalism. In order to properly appreciate and understand why journalism can be a very good and powerful tool for even a normal citizen, People must delve into these types of journalism and establish a clear view of how each one works, this can help not just elections and defamation cases but also help with keeping people confident and proud of their right to freedom of speech and right to have an opinion, Which could benefit journalism and society as a whole.

Tabloids: News, Pictures, Analysis & Opinion | The Week - Explains tabloid cases

National Enquirer | Hottest Celebrity Gossip & Entertainment News - Example of Tabloid

Gotcha journalism - Wikipedia

EOTO: "Gotcha" Journalism

     Journalism has changed in such a way over time that it has as many benefits as it does negatives, it can feed a positive narrative to the public or it can change the way people view the narrative in a negative way, "gotcha" Journalism is a negative to most, but can be positive to some, it can push a bias if done correctly, and can cause negative perspective. There are many caveats to gotcha journalism, and it is still used today to create headlines that harm reputation while somewhat avoiding lying as well.

    "Ambush" journalism consists of interviewing someone in a place where they least expect to be interviewed, which causes confusion and may make them unable to answer or even worse, spit out a wrong answer, which harms liability and truth. The best way to illustrate this is with a celebrity news outlet like TMZ, they use ambush journalism all the time, they almost never have a celebrity in an actual newsroom or interview room, it's always a quick 1 question and then they run away.

    Hidden camera journalism is a modern method of whistleblowing, it involves the use of hidden cameras to expose things that are meant to be secret or kept away from public eye, it can deface an entire campaign if it is severe enough. Commonly most "hidden camera" examples are from BWC on police officers, because the footage from them is available to the public, this means anyone can view footage and use it in whatever they wish, news stories, interviews, or even campaigns if it is not defamation in nature. Such as the Pfizer whistleblower who leaked hidden camera 
footage about talks of "mutating covid"

    Classified and leaked documents and information from whistleblowers is commonly not deemed an ethical way of getting information. The information is both tried and true, but it is also not meant to be public. If an interviewer asks a question about a classified document or operation, The interviewee usually is not allowed to answer, which makes them look bad, and also increases suspicion or it can cause the situation to gain traction, leading major news outlets to follow the same path, A good example of this would be the situation regarding James O'Keefe, There is a whistleblower from Pfizer who has leaked documents and evidence regarding all things covid, This can be used as a form of Gotcha journalism in an interview, Due to no ability to answer.

    Gotcha journalism has been in used for several decades now, And the effect it has is noticeable even today, Paparazzi, Sensitive topics, all these methods are used to hurt an image of the interviewee, Gotcha journalism can even be linked to why some politicians avoid post-speech interviews entirely, only doing interviews in scheduled and pre-determined periods.

Gotcha journalism - Wikipedia

O'Keefe Says He Is Not Giving Up, Reveals Pfizer Whistleblower at CPAC - 'I Was Worried That I Would End Up in a Body Bag' (ijr.com)

phrase usage - Is there an idiomatic expression to refer to an “ambush” journalist? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Hidden Cameras at the Crossroads of Journalism, Ethics and the Law · Undercover Reporting (nyu.edu)

  

EOTO Presentations Summary

     After having watched multiple presentations, I have learned a lot about journalism as well as suppression even before social media existed, as far back as before slavery was abolished, Charles Dana for example, Was a well-established journalist and editor for multiple news outlets as well as an author for multiple books, He faced criticism at The New York Tribune for having Abolitionist views, Which Horace Greely did not agree with, This later led to him joining a separate news outlet.

    Similar things occurred to other journalists, such as Nelly Bly. She was kicked out of Mexico for reporting on the poor state of housing and the economy as well as the issue with food and general living conditions, This can show suppression doesn't just occur in US as well, Because some countries don't even have free speech, They are suppressed and forces to have biased and limited views which always make the bad things nonexistent, This is a very dystopian way of suppression but still oddly occurs in a similar way in the US.

    Another issue with news that is thankfully not an issue nowadays is time, Back before social media news was mostly spread through billboards and newspapers, Which took days to print, This doesn't even count the article being written, Which also takes due time and research, and similar to the time factor, The internet didn't exist, There was one source from that area of effect, And that was what everyone assumed, Lying and deceiving and showing up on the headline of news was very common, with social media and many outlets on the internet as well as TV, News is spread rapidly which is both positive and negative.

    In conclusion, Journalism has faced issues during its past, but it ha
s also evolved in a positive way as well, we are able to receive news mere minutes after it is spoken about, and whenever the president does his speeches to America, we are able to watch it live, unfiltered, and unbiased.

Charles A. Dana | American journalist | Britannica

Nellie Bly | American journalist | Britannica

EOTO: Charles A Dana

    Charles A. Dana was a journalist, editor, and publisher and was born in Hinsdale, New Hampshire in 1819. Throughout his career, he has helped to shape the positive meaning of what journalisms impact is in the United States. Dana started journalism in the 1840s, working for a number of newspapers in the New York area. In 1848, he joined Horace Greeley's newspaper the New York Tribune.

    Dana became pretty well known and caught the eye of many journalists and newsrooms, securing many positions and ranks, Most notably becoming one of Greeley's most trusted advisors. During his time at the Tribune, he covered a number of events such as the Mexican American War and the Gold Rush. He later left to become an assistant secretary of war under president Lincoln. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing military operations in the military. He was very good at his "job" which led to a victory at the Battle of Gettysburg which he was widely praised for.

    After the war he returned to journalism for the Sun (The New York Sun). Under his leadership it became one of the most successful newspapers in the country. Dana was also known as a strong advocate for world peace, so he worked tirelessly to promote diplomacy and understanding between countries. In addition, he has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to not just journalism but american history in general. Dana was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1927.

    Today he is remembered as one of the most influential journalists in the history of american journalism, and his legacy continues to inspire journalists today. But, on top of being a well awarded and recognized journalist, Dana also was a great author and a well-informed historian, (even though he dropped out of Harvard). He wrote several books on many of the topics he has had experience in, such as military history and politics, but he has also wrote about international relations which connects to his views of world peace. One of his most famous works was "The Art of Newspaper Making," which is still read and used by modern journalists today.

    In conclusion, Charles A. Dana is still very relevant today and is commonly known as one of the most influential editors and journalists today. A lot of his books and articles are still read today as they are very important and have built building blocks for modern journalism and news, Without Dana news today would definently not be as free and as widespread as it is today.

Links

    Charles A. Dana | American journalist | Britannica

    Charles A Dana

Trial by Media: Movie Day Summary 1

    The movie starts with 2 girls at what seems like a university, the professor comments how the teacher didn't take off memorial day and the teacher gets laughed at, the one girl feels bad for him, The other joins in on the laughter, Then the girl who liked the teacher dies, It is not obvious what occurred, So the police start a long investigation, My theory however is that the murder was by the woman, She accidentally took the elevator herself with no operator, Or the elevator just failed.

    This is why there are many investigations into psychology and interrogation, It is very difficult to determine a case by witness bias alone, This is often what leads to wrongful prosecution, Not to mention the day and age this occurred was before desegregation, So people automatically assume the elevator operator who is African American is the murderer, Which is something that is still an issue to some people today, And has led to many civil rights movements. 

    This is also an example of media bias, many people would question the officers or witnesses and get unbiased answers, often with missing blanks, which leads to assumptions and false accusations, often leading to other news sources spreading it. This happened a lot with the Amber Heard trial, which is why not many people had access to the courtroom feed, and most of the time you would see clips from it with timestamps to prevent people cutting it and making false clips. 

    During the search of the teacher's house, they steal items such as a wedding photo, this was most likely before search warrants were established, as well as prevention of wrongful stealing of personal items. The man's wife talks to a woman after hearing the news, she says that he was planning to fly back to the north because he did not like the south. The newspapers published about the information she said, which led to people assuming he was trying to "flee" from a crime in which he didn't commit.

My reason for Journalism

     I picked Journalism because as a game designer, in some games they deal with past or current events, Such as Call of Duty for example, in order to develop a well-built recreation or representation of said events, it is important to find an unbiased understanding of how it happened, which involves research, reconstruction, and recreation. 

    Journalism can help build stories as well, it can help create a group understanding of how the story should be portrayed, while also allowing some free area for creativity or improv.

    I've had a passion for creative story writing in game design as far back as 2017, I made a story-based game in unity, it was pretty bad, But the effort made it so enjoyable that I just didn't care. I put so much effort into the research of the event that the story was based on, it made it feel like a AAA game.

    Journalism doesn't just apply to being a reporter, it can help everyday people create a better understanding of how to find their daily news and find the most accurate way to intake the information. In this generation of journalism, News spreads just as fast as misinformation, if not slower, People are quick to jump the gun and conclude things that have no information. It is important to help prevent the spread of misinformation in order to prevent bias.

    In conclusion, Journalism can help me in many ways, it helps create better storylines for realism-based games, as well as intake accurate and critical news information as quick and as safely as possible, this can help improve the way that I intake my daily news and also help prevent bias from being spread through not just me but many other people as well.

My Top 5 News Sources

    First off, I like to intake news from multiple sources to insure I get the most accurate story possible, To start I will usually read the headliners by looking up the story, And just quick clicking a few sites, Which is usually ABC News, NBC, and Fox, I have heard controversy about most of these sites, But I do my best to combine information from all 3,, And if it's something that can only be found in 1 article I usually deem it as either too new to verify or just false. My top 2 sites are usually NCB and Fox. I read articles often from them and check other sites to verify occasionally.

1. NBC nightly news

    I really like nightly news due to the way that they structure it, they quickly highlight key events in the US that should be known about as well as go in depth about important ones that could affect most people's daily lives, then at the end of the sappy news they highlight one good story to come out of America, which is a good way to end the news without everyone feeling sappy.

2. ABC

    Second, I usually watch my local news channel, they tend to be pretty well researched and accurate, they do not delve too deep into details of nationwide events, but they will explain everything that is relevant and important surrounding the story, this helps people understand nationwide occurrences without needless bias for a larger population to be included.

    3. Fox

    Usually after intaking local and nationwide coverage of the event, I tend to glance over fox news and see what they are talking about when it comes to the situation, usually they tend to have bias, this can affect how the information is explained and usually results in biased research as well.

 

    In short conclusion I try to use many news sources to help intake information as accurately and quickly as possible, this can help avoid concern over false information and create a better understanding of the biases that certain news outlets may have, eventually leading to a better understanding of real information VS biased information.