Video Descriptions

The following is a short synopsis of each of the videos we will be seeing in Political Science 111 Mass Media along with information on how you can order a copy of the video.

This is a video of a June 2, 1998 speech by webcaster Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report (www.drudge.com) before a group of skeptical professional journalists at the National Press Club. Five months earlier, Drudge had trumped the mainstream press by broadcasting the report of President Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Not only were journalists upset at his notoreity, they felt that he gave "real journalists" a bad name by reporting rumors and relying on anonymous sources. In his speech and the follow-up question session, Drudge presents an aggressive and sometimes sarcastic defense of Internet webcasters, arguing that they are the future of the media, they play an imformative role in society, and that professional journalists aren't as pure as they pretend to be. He represents "the people's media," he says. On the video, he discusses the investigation of President Clinton and his rationale for creating the Drudge Report. This is an unscripted and entertaining encounter between old and new journalists. The bitterness of the questioning of Drudge is quite palpable.

A copy of this video is available through the Purdue University C-SPAN Archives, P.O. Box 2909, West Lafayette, Indiana 47996-2909. The phone number is (800) 277-2698.

A history of the origin and evolution of the KKK using still photos, videos, and interviews.

The tape is available at (888) 423-1212 or www.historychannel.com/index.html.

This documentary examines how women are portrayed in product advertising. It takes a critical perspective on common practices within the advertising industry and argues that video presentations have serious societal consequences.

The tape is available at (800) 897-0089 or www.mediaed.org/enter.html.

This video takes an in-depth look at hate sites on the Internet. It features interviews with people who have developed these sites as well as a critical analysis of their place in American culture.

The tape is available at (800) 257-5126 or www.films. com.

This PBS special was broadcast October 13, 1992, a year after the emotional and nationally televised hearings on Clarence Thomas' nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. A conservative African-American, Thomas was nominated by President George Bush in 1991. As the Senate considered ratification of the nomination, staffers learned that one of his employees at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was alleging that Thomas had sexually harassed her while she worked for him. This documentary examines the interplay of race and gender on the subject of sexual harassment.

The tape is available from PBS Frontline at (800) 328-7271 or www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline.

Brown University attracted national attention in 1996 when it suspended a student Adam Lack for sexual misconduct in regard to an allegation of date rape. Correspondent John Stoessel of ABC news show 20/20 filmed this segment which was broadcast March 28, 1997. It includes interviews with Lack and student activists as well as scenes from a rally protesting university handling of date rape issues on the campus green. Pay close attention to how Stoessel handles the complicated issue of date rape. What is your evaluation of his reporting?

On February 24, 1999, NBC broadcast a report alleging that Bill Clinton raped an Arkansas women named Juanita Broaddrick two decades ago. The segment has interviews with Ms. Broadderick and materials gathered during the course of correspondent Lisa Myers' investigation of the charges. How do you evaluate Myers' handling of this case and how does it compare to the ABC 20/20 segment? NBC waited until after the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton to broadcast this report. Should NBC have delayed broadcasting of this report? How would the story have affected public and Washington opinion if it had been broadcast during the Senate trial?

This video recounts the story between the decision of television star Ellen DeGeneres to come out as a lesbian on her TV show "Ellen" as well as in real life. It features interviews with Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Heche, Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge, Laura Dern, Diane Sawyer, and former executives at ABC and Disney, the network which hosted the show. The interviews present a behind-the-scenes look at the thinking that went into this show and how network audiences responded.

It is available from Picture This Home Video, (800) 604-8301 or www.PictureThisEnt.com.

This video takes a behind-the-scenes look at the tabloid televison show starring Jerry Springer. Thought to have remade the cultural landscape with its frequent depictions of bizarre social relations and sexual activities, this documentary features interviews with Jerry Springer and staffers about how the show is put together, clips from various shows, and how the talk show turned trashy in order to boost sagging ratings.

In 1996, syphilis spread among young people in an affluent Atlanta suburb. The resulting investigation revealed tales that shocked parents of that community. Teenagers confessed to having multiple sexual partners and having engaged in late-night orgies. This documentary shocked a nation with its analysis of how this community handled the complex issues surrounding sex, drugs, suburban family life, and growing up in America.

The tape is available from PBS Frontline at (800) 328-7271 or www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline.

This 1986 video presents some of the most prominent and infamous political ads that were used in American elections from 1952 to 1984. Among the commercials shown are spots from Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson, Carter, Bush, and Reagan.

The tape is available from Campaigns and Elections magazine at (800) 638-1710 or www.campaignline.com/market/videos.cfm.

This video takes an in-depth look at bombastic radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, whose show reaches 10-12 million listeners each week. Opinionated, conservative, and very popular, Limbaugh has made a career of lambasting liberals, gays, and feminists. The documentary traces the career and impact of one of our nation's most skilled practitioners of talk radio.

The tape is available from PBS Frontline at (800) 328-7271 or www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline.

Filmed by cinematographer Josh Seftel, this documentary examines the 1994 congressional race between Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Vigilante of Rhode Island. It shows how media, advertising, and debates affect political campaigns, and how a congressional challenger dealt with the challenge of running against a member of America's most famous political family. It was broadcast May 28, 1996.

The tape is available from Josh Seftel Enteprises at (781) 643-8418 or www.tiac.net/users/seftel/kennedys.html.

This documentary reviews President Bill Clinton's 1993 and 1994 effort to reform our nation's health care system. Featuring coverage of the uninsured and new procedures for making health care available, this reform was rejected by Congress and led the way to the GOP takeover of Congress in the 1994 election. This video shows how the health care debate unfolded and interest groups sought to influence the course of the discussion.

The tape is available from Films in the Humanities at (800) 257-5126.

This documentary reviews the emergence of Al Jezeera, sometimes described as the CNN of Arabia. Located in Qatar, this television network has earned both praise and condemnation for its reporting on the Middle East and its airing of taped speeches from Osama bin Laden.

The tape is available from Films for the Humanities and Sciences at (800) 257-5126.

This documentary examines the showdown between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich over the Gingrich Revolution of downsizing government and creating an opportunity society. It features interviews with key participants in the political dispute and how Congress and the president dealt with the policy issues raised by Gingrich.

The tape is available from Hedrick Smith Productions at (301) 654-9848.

This video, which was broadcast October 22, 1996, takes a look at changing public attitudes towards the American news media and why citizens have become more negative about the journalistic profession.

The tape is available from PBS Frontline at (800) 328-7271 or www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline.