Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Fading Art Of The Physical Exam

Internist Nesli Basgoz examines patient Barry Arcangeli who has a leaky heart valve. Basgoz discovered Arcangeli's heart condition during a routine physical examination.

"I sometimes joke that if you come to our hospital missing a finger, no one will believe you until we get a CAT scan, an MRI and an orthopedic consult. We just don't trust our senses." - Dr. Abraham Verghese

Would you prefer your doctor to take the time talk with you, give you a physical exam that includes touch, make judgements based on experience and physical touch? I do, that's why I go to 82 year old Dr. Pepe in Boulder City. But other physicians say that the time spent to practice the art of medicine takes away from the efficiency, documentation and physicall evidence of tests, scans and almost CSI or detective deductive evidence. After all we live in a modern world with modern things.

Insurance company demands that doctors spend less than fifteen minutes per patient (in some cases ten) have taken from face time and physical touch. The family doctor is more likely a family clinic, where doctors who are contract employees come and go based on how much they are paid as much as how much they can help people.

Some med schools are never taught to "lay hands" or how to properly interview a patient, as their instructors come from the world of technology and large medical institutions.

NPR 's Morning Edition spent time yesterday morning looking at the "fading art of the physical exam."

Click here for the audio and printed versions of the story.

It's not in the words...

Guide to London Olympics

Added to COMPROFESSOR.COM Actor Tabs

http://graphics.latimes.com/storyboard-london-olympics-key-moments-watch/

Olympic Stadium. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Key date: July 27

Venue: Olympic Stadium

Big story: The ceremonies are scheduled to commence at 9 p.m. in London, which is eight hours ahead of the West Coast, and viewers here will have to wait. NBC is broadcasting the prerecorded Opening Ceremonies in Southern California beginning at 7:30 p.m. PDT.

What to expect: Queen Elizabeth II will officially open the games. Team members from more than 200 nations will participate in the parade. A cast of 15,000 people under the direction of Oscar-winner Danny Boyle, of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame, will perform.

TEN DOG RULES

1. The dog is not allowed in the house.

2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. Ok, fine, the dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

4. The dog can get on the old furniture only.

5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.

8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only!

9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.

Make a Presentation Like Steve Jobs

Bye Bye Hotmail

Hotmail is going cold, at least as a brand.

Microsoft Corp. is phasing out the email service, a pioneer of electronic mail accessed on the Web, in favor of a new-but-old brand: Outlook.

The company said Tuesday it is converting Hotmail, which competes with Google Inc.'s Gmail and email services from Apple Inc. and Yahoo Inc., into a revamped Web-based email service called Outlook.com, mirroring the name of Microsoft's dominant line of workplace email software.

-Wall Street Journal

Big Bird and the death of journalism

I once read that the BBC worked long and hard to delay the introduction of “Sesame Street” on British Television because the program taught children that all you need to know you can learn in one or two minutes bites. The Sesame Street generation now includes most everyone under 40.

So, when it comes to laying blame for decreased attention span, a tendency to grab at the short and simple explanation for things, the way so many people grab onto sound bites or easy answers as true without questioning the source or the depth of the statement (Obama is a Muslim, Obama is not American, actors are not informed, celebrities should not be allowed to voice opinions, Global Warming is a myth and so on…), the only people we have to blame are ourselves, those in or who consume media.

We wanted short, fast, six minutes ratings increment driven news or entertainment. We wanted fast paced video and audio. We bought into anything worth saying can be said in 14 words or less, or thirty seconds or less, or on a simple billboard.

CNN shifted from national international news gathering and long form reporting organization to increased personality and bias, hot spot rhetoric and ratings driven after FOX replace them in the ratings by presenting opinion and feel good reinforcement of one point of view, with shouting heads instead of dedicated news resources and balance reporting. CNBC followed, gaining ratings with the opposite political presentation to FOX. Ratings, fast paced headline coverage, personality news are all the result of our shift from long-term thinkers to instant gratification and short attention spans. Broadcast news has been “the bubble headed blond” smiling and doing small talk for years. Gone are Cronkite, Brokaw, Murrow or any attempt at balance and presentation to fit the seriousness of what is being presented.

Americans do not feel a need for a better journalism than they have. This was written in response to another Open Salon posting and was not penned by me.

Because it is not true, but a generalization with mixed values revealing the view of the common man from an elite perspective. By Americans do we mean the masses? If so, realize that serious reporting has always appealed to the minority and the decision makers. Newspapers dying out has little to do with content and more to do with economics of publishing and the ability of the comic readers, the sports box score fanatic, the Wall Street ticker-tape watcher to get real time information over other media. Except for those who have slashed reporters instead of fat, newspapers still offer long form and insightful journalism that cannot be found in other areas, at least not easily or for the passive mass audience.

Of course economics includes bad management, not shifting quickly enough to a multi-media integration of revenue and resources, and not keeping their fingers on the actual daily habits of time use by the general population they relied on to attract advertisers, sell subscriptions and maintain their reputations.

As a teacher I have to disagree on the low view of Americans. Knowledge, learning and education have shifted from the Eastern Elite definition held so dear by so many who think they represent business and political norms. Americans are learning more, reading more and thinking more than ever before. The difference is it may not be balanced, as broad in focus or as in depth as in the past. Fast, quick form Internet and sound bite media have taken their toll on our attention span.

People are basically good. People may be learning more than ever before through experience, experimentation, and object lessons as they seek more than book or traditional knowledge. We are not dumbing down, but the evolution from long form attention spans to “the fast and furious” will change and is changing how we think, our perceptions of reality and our ability to communicate on complex levels.

What if anything can be done?

Hats off the New York Times for resisting the trend to cut reporting and editorial staff during hard times, and to keep printing national and international daily editions.

So this entry rants, wanders and touches on probably too many areas. I would like response, elaboration and discussion in any direction these thoughts may lead.

Thank you in advance.

Art

March, 12, 2009 first posted, repost 1/20/10

Olympic ranting. Disney Channel's crossover hit. Comcast begins appeals process in FCC Tennis Channel ruling. Rebourne.

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

By Joe Flint

After the coffee. Before learning how to score gymnastics.

The Skinny: Lots of gripes about how NBC is covering the Olympics (see below). My favorite complaint is that NBC has a "monopoly" on the games. Well, they outbid Fox and ESPN for that "monopoly." No one handed them the Games and said "go to town." Tuesday's headlines include the above-mentioned Olympic coverage complaints, a look at how much money Warner Bros. pumps into the local economy and a new Disney Channel cartoon is a hit with African Americans.

Daily Dose: Fox Business Network continues to make gains on CNBC. In July, FBN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" beat CNBC's "The Kudlow Report" in the key 25-54 demographic. It's the first time "Lou Dobbs Tonight" has scored a monthly win since it premiered in March 2011. In total viewers, Dobbs still trailed Kudlow by about 10,000.

Bill Macatee and Martina Navratilova interview Ana Ivanovic for the Tennis Channel

Comcast began its appeal of last week's FCC ruling on the Tennis Channel. The Tennis Channel's Bill Macatee and tennis great Martina Navratilova, center, interview Ana Ivanovic, in 2009 at Wimbledon. (Fred Mullane / July 30, 2012)

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

Comcast Corp. has asked the Federal Communications Commission to stay its decision that the Philadelphia-based cable television giant discriminated against the independently owned Tennis Channel.

Monday's filing by Comcast Corp. is expected to be the first step in a lengthy appeals process in the dispute over distribution that began three years ago.

Last week, in a 3-2 vote, the FCC found that Comcast had discriminated against the Santa Monica-based Tennis Channel by placing it in a more expensive sports package that limited the channel's exposure and revenue prospects.

The Tennis Channel is available in about 3 million homes that receive Comcast Cable service.
At the same time, Comcast provided two sports channels it owns, the Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network (previously called Versus) to nearly all of its 22 million subscribers. The FCC ordered Comcast to provide the Tennis Channel with distribution comparable to the two sports channels, which would effectively increase its coverage by about 18 million homes, and force Comcast to pay Tennis Channel millions of dollars more each year in programming fees.

It was the first time that a major cable operator has been found in violation of federal anti-discrimination program carriage rules that were established in 1993.

To continue reading in the LA Times click on More...

A Warner Bros. product like "Two Broke Girls" pumps a lot of money into the local economy. (CBS / July 31, 2012)

Big spender! How important in Warner Bros. to Los Angeles County? Well, in 2010 the studio spent about $1.6 billion on local businesses and paid $2.5 billion in wages and residuals to residents. While studios typically guard such numbers, Warner Bros. is in a talking mood in an effort to enlighten local communities and civic leaders about the value of having it in the backyard. Details on the local spending habits of Warner Bros. from the Los Angeles Times.

No pleasing everyone. NBC's Olympics are scoring big ratings for the network. It is also streaming events live online (I snuck a peak at women's volleyball on Monday). But there will also be people who can find things to complain about and now thanks to Twitter they have a platform for their rants against NBC. If the network could make as much money by playing the Olympics live on TV all day with no tape delay and no worries about a prime-time audience, it would. But until that day comes, tape delay in prime time for TV will remain as it has for decades. Since I actually work during the day and am definitely in the casual viewer camp, it's not a big deal to me. There are worse things in the world I can find to complain about. Talking heads covering competent event announcers who are talking in English, comments made on what viewers can obviously see and not showing some of the most poignant moments of the overall events to highlight content less interviews with US athletes. More on the backlash against NBC from the Baltimore Sun and Los Angeles Times.

Can I get a show? Google's YouTube is determined to make its video platform a showcase for professional entertainment (as opposed to clips of cats doing silly things). Having already spent $150 million to launch dozens of channels, it is now pumping another $200 million into the effort. Lots of producers and stars are also giving YouTube a shot. Side deals with Facebook and other distributors for cross promotion and distrubution increase YouTubes odds at becoming a true programming challenger. Details from the Wall Street Journal.

Building bridges. The New York Times notes that Walt Disney Co. has at times had a hard time connecting with African Americans. But now, thanks to a new Disney Channel cartoon called "Doc McStuffins," the company has hit pay dirt. “For Disney to make a cartoon that stars a little brown girl as an aspiring intellectual professional, that’s coming a long way,” one mother said of the show.
Get out the vote! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will elect a new president Tuesday night. There are at least five people jockeying for the job including studio executive Rob Friedman and producer Gale Anne Hurd. Variety with a preview of the race.

Reborn! When Matt Damon decided to stop playing Jason Bourne, many bet that the franchise would end. But Universal is banking on Jeremy Renner keeping it alive. The Hollywood Reporter talks with producer Frank Marshall and coproducer Jonathan Crowley about their efforts to show that Bourne is more than Matt Damon.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Spanish-language TV stations and networks are poised to make big bucks from political spots.

Follow me on Twitter and pick fights with me. Twitter.com/JBFlint

By Joe Flint

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

Underemployerd

Close to one in five Nevadans are unemployed or working under the table...nearly one in three are 'under employed', working part time not by choice or in temporary work that requires periods of time without working. Nevada leads the nation in these negative statistics. California is a close second.

Public Speaking and Leadership

The best speaker I have ever seen/heard was a Colonel in the United States Airforce. I say "was" because he is now a Brigadier General at the Pentagon. It is amazing what great speakers many of the Higher ranked officers are and I guess they have to be. Speaking in front of a sea of Soldiers/Marines/Airman, they have to find ways to keep all of their troops stimulated. Especially since they are leaders of people all ages, gender, and educational level. This is really great advice and goes along with my motto; you get out what you put into something. If you are passionate and excited what you are speaking about, then your audience will be as well; as long as you are able to relate your message to many different groups in your audience. Being able to relate to individuals of all ages, gender, and sociological backgrounds is what makes leaders great, and what makes people want to follow. - Jess Kobayashi on Public Speaking Advice

Monday, July 30, 2012

Some Definitions of Rhetoric

From Stanford Univeristy (click here)

Plato: Rhetoric is "the art of winning the soul by discourse."

Aristotle: Rhetoric is "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available

means of persuasion.

Cicero: "Rhetoric is one great art comprised of five lesser arts: inventio, dispositio,

elocutio, memoria, and pronunciatio." Rhetoric is "speech designed to

persuade."

Quintillian: "Rhetoric is the art of speaking well."

Francis Bacon: Rhetoric is the application of reason to imagination "for the better

moving of the will."

George Campbell: [Rhetoric] is that art or talent by which discourse is adapted to its

end. The four ends of discourse are to enlighten the understanding, please

the imagination, move the passion, and influence the will.

A. Richards: Rhetoric is the study of misunderstandings and their remedies.

Click on "read more" below to continue with some of the top definitions of Rhetoric from of top minds.

Manners Anyone?

The Decline of Manners
Stephanie Pettitt

In a NY Times article from 11/1/11, Kim Severson opines that manners are on the decline, but nowhere more obvious than in the south. As a longtime southerner myself, I find there may be some credence to her statement. People holding doors, pulling chairs, or even smiling and saying hello as you pass seem to be the exception rather than the norm.

Some argue that people, especially southerners, are more willing to speak their minds, while others argue social graces, please/thank you, and table manners are simply not as important as they used to be, particularly because the world is less formal than it was. Others argue that the southern charm was simply a tool to enforce social or racial classes.

Here is the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/us/southern-manners-on-decline-some-say.html?_r=1

What do you think? Do you notice a decline in general manners? Are people more rude or impolite than you remember? What do you attribute this to? Is this a good thing?

I just returned from a wedding in Charleston and was appalled at just how awful the manners were through my travels and the experience. There were people pushing others in the airport, yelling at the skycaps because the plane was delayed, demanding money, freebies and refunds (it was only 45 minutes late). When we checked into our hotel, the clerk was typing on her keyboard, looked up and never said "welcome, can I help you" she waited for us to start talking to her. It was more than a lack of customer service (which was also phenomenally bad) but just a general lack of kindness to others.

No one said thank you or excuse me, no one held doors or pulled chairs. My sister, in her wedding dress, had to open and close her own limo door because the driver was on the phone and couldn't be bothered. Her maid of honor was holding the train of her dress so it wouldn't get wet in the puddle the driver pulled up in.

I don't understand when any of this became OK. These manners aren't about which fork to use or leaving your glass on the table when someone toasts you- these are the manners that tell people about who you are, the simple kindesses extended to others. There is commercial out now that kind of sums it all up (I think for a car insurance)- do something kind for one person and someone else may see it and do something kind for someone else. It doesn't take much to open a door, smile, or say please. Someone else may notice and do something kind for another.

How fast is the federal deficit rising?

George Washington University wants politicos to 'Face the Facts'

By Joe Flint

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

A former CNN executive, with some help from an ex-president of CBS News and a well-known columnist, is hoping to bring some substance to the political spin that is election season.

With the presidential election just 100 days away and political ads flooding television and radio, George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs is rolling out "Face the Facts USA," a nonpartisan, multi-platform content hub that it says is "dedicated to elevating the tone of national debate with provocative facts."

"The electorate has good reason to be confused and turned off by the avalanche of assertion and partisan noise-making," said Frank Sesno, the director of GW's School of Media and Public Affairs and a former CNN correspondent and Washington bureau chief. "We're free of finger-pointing, gotchas and gimmes."

"Face the Facts" will focus on topics like the debt, jobs, education, national security, healthcare and the environment. The first "Face the Facts" brief is about the deficit and how fast it grows. This might be too scary for children under the age of 13.

The "Face the Facts" advisory board includes well-known media folks like former CBS News President Andrew Heyward and former New York Times columnist Bob Herbert. Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is also on the board.

Legislative change would allow Netflix users to Facebook their video viewing

A file photo shows Netfilx headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. The company would benefit from a proposed legislative amendment. (AP Paul Sakuma / July 30, 2012)

By Dawn C. Chmielewski

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

A proposed amendment to a U.S. cyber-security bill would allow Netflix users to share information about their latest movie rentals with Facebook friends.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday filed four amendments to the bill, including one that would lift a decades-old ban against the sharing video viewing information without a consumer's express written consent. Overturning the bill could allow Facebook to let others know what you view and your ratings of the film or video viewed.

The proposed change would update the Video Privacy Protection Act, which barred a video store (or a service like Netflix) from sharing a consumer's video rental history without written approval.

Congress enacted the ban in 1988, after the Washington City Paper published a list of video rentals by Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork during the confirmation hearings.

Bork's movie preferences -- "A Day at the Races," "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "Ruthless People" -- weren't particularly illuminating. But the privacy breach moved Leahy to draft legislation that would prevent the disclosure of rental information unless a consumer consented specifically and in writing -- or police officers would present a warrant.

A Netflix spokesman said the company would support a modernization of the 1988 law, which would allow subscribers to share information about the movies they're watching, just as Spotify users can let friends know what songs they're listening to.

But given the rancorous climate on Capitol Hill as the presidential election nears, it seems unlikely that any bill could muster bipartisan support.

Netflix has spent $395,000 in lobbying this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics' website, OpenSecrets.org. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would amend the Video Privacy Protection Act's consent provisions to allow services like Netflix to obtain a one-time, blanket permission to disclose all the movies a consumer watches.

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

Conversation

PLAY BALL

How are your conversation skills? Think of conversation as playing catch with a ball. The ball is your question. They ask you a question and you answer it and then you ask them a question and listen to their answer. Tossing questions back and forth keep a conversation going and enables you to find the things you have in common.

What makes this work is that when someone asks you a question, you not only answer it, you elaborate a bit on it. Be direct but make it interesting. This is your time to share a part of yourself. The art conversation is telling people a little less than they want to know. Do not ramble. Be courteous with you response but if you feel yourself getting on a roll and monopolizing the conversation. Remember, don’t ‘hog’ the ball. Ask a question back, tossing the ball in their court. Then listen to their answer.

If you feel you are not a great talker, remember by tossing the ball in their court with a question, you can still make a home run by being a great listener.

Today, be aware of your conversation skills and get out there and Play Ball!

Open-mindedness

July 30, 2012

'Dark Knight' falls, NBC gets heat for Olympics. Modern Family is a happy family. Changes high up in networks.

"The Dark Knight Rises" took a tumble at the box office over the weekend. (Warner Bros.)

By Joe Flint

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

'Dark Knight' falling. While "The Dark Knight Rises" dominated the box office for the second straight weekend, its ticket sales dropped 60% to $64.1 million. So far, the movie has made about $281 million in North America, which is off about $25 million from the last Batman movie. The two other movies opening -- "The Watch" and "Step Up Revolution" did not pick up the slack and the unusually weak weekend was attributed in large part to interest in the Olympics, which was generating strong ratings for NBC. Box office coverage from the Los Angeles Times and Movie City News.

After the coffee. Before doing something really important that I can't talk about yet.

The Skinny: I spent the weekend at the TV press tour and now I need to try to catch up with the Olympics so I can be part of the conversation. Monday's headlines include the weekend box office report, a look at all the criticism NBC's getting for its coverage of the Games and an appreciation of now former Fox Sports chief David Hill.

Daily Dose: The recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission to force Comcast to distribute the Tennis Channel in as many homes as it carries its own sports networks is dividing the industry. The National Cable & Telecommunications Assn., the industry's chief lobbying arm in Washington, D.C., blasted the FCC. Then the Tennis Channel ripped the NCTA. Much is being made of Tennis Channel chief Ken Solomon's close ties to the Obama administration, but top Comcast executive David Cohen also has helped raise money for the president. Maybe the top execs should play tennis and winner takes all.

Can't please everyone. NBC's Olympics coverage is scoring big ratings for the network and its cable channels that are also carrying the Games from London. But it seems people are spending as much time complaining about what the network is doing both on television and with its live streams as they are watching the competition. NBC's chief digital officer Vivian Schiller probably didn't help matters when she retweeted a CNN producer's joke that “the medal for most Olympic whining goes to everyone complaining about what happens every 4 yrs., tape delay.” Also incessant talking and cutting away from events audiences turned in to see. The New York Times and Reuters on the heat NBC's coverage is taking.

News hole. CNN's longtime chief Jim Walton announced he would leave the cable news empire at the end of the year when his contract is up. Walton helped turn CNN into global powerhouse but has been unable to fix its U.S. channel, which has struggled in the ratings for many years. No successor was named for Walton. Analysis of CNN's woes from the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal.

He leaves a big hill to climb. Last week, it was announced that longtime Fox Sports chief David Hill was stepping aside for a broader advisory role. Hill, a colorful character never at a loss for words or enthusiasm, also was a pioneering producer, which kind of got lost in the news that he would no longer be the top man at Fox Sports. Deadspin looks at Hill's legacy.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: The adult cast of "Modern Family" is a happier family with its new contracts. We're trying to figure out why we care about Kristen Stewart cheating.

Follow me on Twitter. I promise not to gripe about Olympics coverage. Twitter.com/JBFlint

From the LA Times Company Town Blog

Click here for the latest industry news.

Public Speaking help links

How to Deliver a Great Speech in 3 Easy Steps by James GladwinWould you like to know more about how to how to deliver a great speech in public? Read on and find out about how to deliver a great speech in 3 simple steps!

How to Plan a Great Presentation - Setting Your Objectives by Bob Howard-SpinkNothing inspires confidence in a speaker more than knowing that their message is exactly right for this audience, and to feel totally clear about its delivery from start to finish! Arguably, there is no such thing as presentation nerves. Just people who don't know how to plan a presentation or can't be bothered! And guess what? It is the thoroughly prepared and well rehearsed presenter, talking with an audience rather than reciting Powerpoint text, who displays those powerful persuasion skills and congruence that wins an audience over.

How to Deliver an Efficient Presentation by Viola WongThere is no incontrovertibly that some people are so afraid of speaking in the public that they would rather die. Well, the following tips would be of help for those people who are going to give their first presentation or the 100th. Hope these tips can make you more confident, and deliver more powerful presentations.

Public Speaking Tips - How to Deliver a Better Presentation by Julius Kuhn-RegnierThere are lots of people who feel uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience. Of course there are also other who feel quite at ease when speaking in public. Still even these people feel anxious sometimes and they are just better at hiding it. To lose some of that anxiousness follow my tips below to become a better public speaker.

How to Deliver a Presentation With Confidence by Julius Kuhn-RegnierPublic speaking is the number one fear in the U.S. and not without a reason. Speaking in front of other people can make us feel quite uncomfortable especially when you start to notice that your listeners aren't really listening after all. Click on "read more" below for additional links (and use right hand column links on this blog).

PowerPoint Rosetta Stone

At any professional conference least one speaker will put up PowerPoint that looks great on their laptop but like the Rosetta Stone from the back of the room.

-Observation heard on the BBC World Service

Olympic Emty Seats and Empty Words

Why all those empty seats? That's what both Brits and Olympic tourist are asking, as they find themselves scurrying to find a seat at any event at the 30th modern Olympics. Turns out in the rush to finance the games, massive numbers of tickets were purchased by corporate interests and are going unused. Also blocks for athletes and journalist remain empty as both work to make the most of their time training and covering events at the ground or behind the scenes levels. BBC domestic service has been deluged with complaints about traffic, alleged crime and the inaccessibility of the games.

Meanwhile, NBC is being criticized in the US for not living up to the ABC standards of quality sports journalism and minimal interruption. At the Opening Ceremonies NBC covered a moving tribute to the victims of terrorism by running a feel good interview with and American athlete. Music was covered by uninformed talking heads and the time spent promoting NBC's Today Show and other programs came at the expense of covering the ceremony and the games themselves.

What you listen to is important..and what you watch.

http://www.classwarfareexists.com

Put this in the “we already knew this” column.

Poynter has the scoop:

NPR and Sunday morning political talk shows are the most informative news outlets, while exposure to partisan sources, such as Fox News and MSNBC, has a negative impact on people’s current events knowledge.

People who watch MSNBC and CNN exclusively can answer more questions about domestic events than people who watch no news at all. People who only watch Fox did much worse. NPR listeners answered more questions correctly than people in any other category.

Most Americans See College as Essential to Getting a Good Job

College educated least likely to be unemployed or underemployed

by Cynthia English

Gallop News (Gallop Polls)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most Americans see a college degree as a necessary step toward attaining quality employment. Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. adults (69%) strongly agree or agree that having a college degree is essential for getting a good job in this country, according to a recent study by Gallup and Lumina Foundation for Education.

Consistent with these perceptions, Gallup Daily tracking of unemployment and underemployment in the U.S. finds that college-educated Americans fare better in the workforce than U.S. adults without a college degree. Their unemployment and underemployment rates so far in 2011 are lower than those rates for Americans with less education and are also well below the national averages.

Given a choice, Americans are most likely to believe that students seek higher education primarily for practical reasons, rather than for personal development. According to the Gallup/Lumina study conducted in May, about half of Americans (53%) say the main reason students get more education is to earn more money and a third say it is to get a good job (33%).

At a time when most Americans are negative about the job market in general, more than half (57%) strongly agree or agree that people who have a college degree have a good chance of finding a quality job and 15% disagree.

Implications
While Americans remain negative about the economy and the job market, they still see the value of a college education, both in terms of its ability to help them earn more money and to help them get a good job.
Some college graduates and post-graduates remain out of work, which may partly reflect today's challenging economy and jobs climate. However, it also suggests that leaders can do more to ensure that college graduates have the quality of education and skills that employers are looking for.
Recent research by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce proposes that the U.S. needs more college graduates with a quality education and skills suited for today's job market. Gallup/Lumina data suggest that the majority of Americans would agree with this assessment. Forthcoming articles will explore how Americans perceive the quality of higher education in the U.S.
Survey Methods

Gallup conducted 1,001 interviews in English only from May 17-29, 2011, with a random sample of adults, aged 18 and older, residing in landline-telephone households, cell phone-only households, and cell phone-user households. Up to three calls were made to each household to reach an eligible respondent.

The data set was statistically adjusted (weighted) using the following variables: race/ethnicity, gender, education, and age as defined by the most recent data from the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The final overall results are representative of the U.S. adult population.

The questionnaire was developed in consultation with representatives from Lumina Foundation and Gallup. All interviewing was supervised and conducted by Gallup's full-time interviewing staff. For results based on the total sample size of 1,001 adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±4 percentage points. For subgroups within this population, e.g., education level, gender, and income, the margin of error would be greater. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
Results for the employment data are based on more than 208,000 telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking, with a random sample of adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, collected from Jan. 2-July 31, 2001, selected using random-digit-dial sampling.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each daily sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents for gender within region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cell phone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.
Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2010 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit http://www.gallup.com/.