On Monday, Feb. 11 we have a tentative Skype chat scheduled with Dr. Jack Lule, author of our book "Daily News, Eternal Stories."
To prepare for this chat (we finish the book on Wednesday, Feb. 6) please provide your overall response to the book. Be sure to address how it shapes your understanding of the news media and how, or if, your opinion of news has changed.
Also, be sure to identify at least one question you would like to ask Dr. Lule during our chat.
First, I would like to say how amazing it is that we get to Skype with the author of one of the books we are studying in this class. I would like to ask him why he picked the news stories he did to go with each myth. Or perhaps, has he discovered any other myths that are prevalent that he did not include in the book. Regarding the actual book, I was a huge fan of it. I actually finished reading it a week ago because I found the content interesting and captivating. I was excited to get to the next chapter to see how Lule would explain the myth. Lule related and explained each myth with a news story from the recent past that tied the reader to it emotionally. For instance, Lule used Leon Klinghoffer for Chapter 3: The Victim. Leon Klinghoffer was from New York City so the Times wrote his story as a hometown tragedy. I especially connected with story because I am from New York City and I feel a great pride in that. New Yorkers are a community of people even though we are small and close like smaller towns. On a larger scale, the book helped me to understand news media better. I can identify the myths in newspapers, I understand why people are interested in reading certain articles, and I learned to respect how difficult it is to be a journalist. My opinion of news hasn't changed, I still enjoy reading and watching it. However, it has changed how I think about human nature. I question why these myths work so well. Why do we, as a society, need these stories to be repeated over and over again?
ReplyDeleteThe conclusion of Lule’s book really brought everything back together for me. The in-depth discussions of individual myths and individual new stories were useful and necessary, but they were extremely focused and I lost the larger implications of his argument. The multiple case studies were the pieces of the puzzle but I was not putting them together correctly. It was also difficult to get the entire message from a discussion of one article per myth. Don’t get me wrong, the analyses were great, but after a while I was beginning to think that this wasn’t a very wide sampling. One example per myth was giving me the sense that maybe this doesn’t happen all the time although in my heart I know it’s true. At the same time, I would have liked some examples of articles that didn’t use myth or handled a specific event in a different or better way.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Lule says myth shouldn’t really degrade the value of news, it has for me. The coverage of Newton’s death is not acceptable by my standards and that just makes me disappointed in journalism and the media. I feel like I can no longer read a news story with analyzing or criticizing it; or even sifting through it in order to get past a myth that may skew the story. It makes me trust the news even less than I already did. Yes, Lule says it is unconscious, but just because something is done unconsciously doesn’t mean it is right. It just means it needs to become more of a conscious effort to be aware of and perhaps tone-down such story-telling.
I am really curious as to how long this took Lule to put together. In the Flood section, he said that he looked at 125 stories of the Hurricane Mitch coverage, which struck me as a huge time commitment. I’d also like to hear more about how he thinks these myths translate into online journalism because he did mention it, but a lot can change in 12 years. I was wondering if Lule hypothetically wrote an update to his book what would he include or change.
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ReplyDeleteAfter finishing Dr. Lule’s book, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed reading it. I thought that it was really well written, easily understood, and definitely unique. I also think that this book definitely helps shape my understanding of news media. In particular, it is evident that there are certain stories that are retold over and over again in the news. Lule (2001) calls these stories “fundamental” or “eternal” stories. These fundamental stories are evident in the seven myths that Lule (2001) discusses. After reading Dr. Lule’s book, it is evident that these seven myths play an important role in modern news story telling. Within the news stories, the myths serve several important roles including reconciling humans to a random and often cruel world, reaffirming societal values and social order, and making a model out of those who go against this order (Lule, 2001). Therefore, it is apparent that myth plays a really important role within news media and our society.
ReplyDeleteThe book has changed my opinion of the news, but in a slightly more positive way. For instance, as I previously stated, news as myth serves a valuable purpose for a society, whether good or bad. Before reading the book, I never made any connection between various news stories. Now that I read the book, I constantly look for the presence of these myths and what their presence might suggest about the individual or about society as a whole. I feel that the myths are present at all levels of the news whether local or national. Although stories may have different circumstances or individuals involved, many of them essentially tell the same seven mythical stories. Using news stories as myths, as Dr. Lule states, helps tell the fundamental or eternal stories of humans. In this sense, it helps us make sense of who we are as humans and who we are as a society.
There are a couple questions I would like to ask Dr. Lule. First, it has been more than ten years since you wrote the book, in that time have you done any follow-up research on news as myth, and if so is there anything else you could discuss? Second, in the book you mention potential models for the new era of international journalism; since you have written the book do you think that international news has become dictated by U.S. foreign policy?
I also agree with Lule that the stories told in news media reaffirm societal values and social order. I would really like to use Lule's concept of stories and myth in popular media and culture. Everyday we're exposed to many stories that shape the way we think, behave, and communicate- TV shows (Modern Family, Pretty Little Liars), Video Games (Final Fantasy, Legend Of Zelda, Mario), Movies (Tangled, The Incredibles), etc. I think applying Lule's concepts viewing these mediums are essential into learning what society believes in, and then question whether those values are good for society, or worth having.
DeleteAfter completing “Daily News, Eternal Stories” by Jack Lule, I feel as though I was given a deeper insight into the stories and meanings behind past and present journalism. The myths described by Lule provide a concrete view of how news stories can be classified into one of Lule’s several proposed mythical themes. With each myth, Lule offers stories that exemplify and validate his points and additionally, most of these stories are able to be uncovered thanks in large part to the accessibility of the Internet. Lule’s text is a must read when learning about the analysis of news and in essence, challenges readers and those interested in some form of journalism to recognize Lule’s suggested myths when looking at daily stories that are printed, broadcast or talked about in today’s current news.
ReplyDeleteOn Monday, February 11, when our class gets the wonderful opportunity to Skype with Dr. Jack Lule, I would like to simply ask him, “How did you come to propose the particular myths that you did? And similarly, how did you begin your research on myths in the news. Where did your initial interests lie?” I am intrigued to know how Lule initially got started on this project, being that he is a college professor, and how he contrived and developed each myth.
During close reading of Lule and upon viewing actual articles which were mentioned in the text, my understanding of the news media has undoubtedly been expanded. The themes and myths presented by Lule are new facets of information that I can now incorporate into my overall studies of journalism and general communication. Although my opinion of news media has not necessarily been changed, I can attest that after reading and understanding the purpose of Lule’s news analysis, it became clear that there is still an ample amount of knowledge concerning the news spectrum which I have not learned. Before the introduction of Lule’s text, I never would have even considered that there were “myths” present in everyday news. Now, after this text and I have been introduced and become familiar with one another, I’m more cognizant of the themes Lule talks about and can decipher them if need be. The news media is a specific area which is fascinating to me and it will continue to remain so as I continue to gain new knowledge about all that it encompasses and has to offer.
I really agree with what you are saying here, and I to found similar findings about the before and after values of journalism. I could really relate to with what you found interesting on this book because I found it interesting as well. Your question to Mr. Lule is somewhat similar to what I am asking him in referring to the different myths. It seems like you were most interested in how he developed these myths while I am focusing on one myth in particular but it still is very similar. I also agree with you how we almost all have a better understanding of news coverage's and it helps us be more informed of what is being portrayed in the news.
DeleteAfter completing "Daily News, Eternal Stories," written by Jack Lule, I feel that I have a much better understanding of what journalism is and how it works. Before this class I did not understand how articles and reporters put news coverages together and I was almost blind to the situation. The thing that I found most compelling were the different myths discussed and how they play into every role. I'm sort of a sports fanatic so I was really intrigued by looking at the hero, the scapegoat and the trickster. It was really interesting to see how all of those myths can play into roles in society today. I thought the book was pretty interesting and I really liked how it covered many different topics but I think it would have been cool to learn about what other myths there are or what happens when something does not fall into one of the myth categories. One thing that I have taken away from this book is that I am much more aware when reading different articles about the myths that may occur or how it is written. This book really opened up my eyes to that, and that is something I really did not pay much attention to before. I think that in ways this is good and bad because I can't really read an article just to read it anymore I am always looking to analyze it and find something wrong with it. Before reading the text I was so oblivious to so many things that were going on in the news but now after reading this book I pay so much more attention to what is going on in the article and why. I have always been a pretty active reader in the newspaper but I more just read it to find out information and did not pay much attention to how it was reported or any trends with the news. Now looking back I really missed out on a lot and I am anxious to see moving forward if I will be able to pick up on different trends and myths in different news coverages.
ReplyDeleteWhen we get the chance to meet Jack Lule, I would like to talk to him more specifically about the trickster. I was a little confused by this myth and I did not really understand the example from Mike Tyson. I felt that he was more upfront and honest about who he was and he was not so much a role model to children. He was labeled more as a fighter and a punk kid from the streets of Brooklyn, New York. I will be anxious to see how he can explain this and what he means by the trickster. Overall, I was really pleased with this book and I felt that I learned a lot from it. This seems like it is going to be very beneficial with future class projects and also broadening my knowledge in news coverage.
I completely agree with what you said. You mentioned that you were most interested in the hero, the scapegoat and the trickster. I agree with you, and I feel that these are the most evident in every day news. Additionally, I am interested to see what Jack Lule would say about the trickster. This was a semi-confusing myth and I feel it could be interpreted many ways. This book has made me interested to look more into the Grizzly for our group project.
DeleteI came into this class knowing that print media contain myths – myth formation and structure is something we talk a lot about in English lit classes – but the focus point of my understanding of myths had been on consuming them as a reader. Lule’s book led me to consider how I, as a student journalist, approach writing news stories. In both English and Communications, we often talk about print media’s impact on its readers and consumers; but we talk about how traditional structures in print media impact writer’s approach to writing less often. With Lule, we talked a lot about how myths in news have the power to perpetuate certain attitudes that maintain the status quo. Lule’s concluding chapter, however, brings it all back to the journalist and how myth affects his or her approach to news for better or for worse.
ReplyDeleteMyth, as a method for translating information into stories that help people comprehend the world around them, is often used to maintain the status quo. As we have seen in Lule’s book, this is problematic when the myth being told revolves persons of color or individuals who go against convention. Myths told about these figures tend to frame them negatively and preserve social prejudices against them. Can myths be revised to subvert this practice and reframe these individuals more positively or at least more equitably? If a journalist were to undertake this project of revision, how likely would they be to succeed? Part of the strength of a myth is its repetition; because each retelling of a myth is essentially the same, they are easy for readers to digest and comprehend because they follow our expectations. Are the structures and elements of myth too set in stone to be changed in ways that readers will believe or accept?
I found that reading Lule’s book was an eye opening experience for me. In the past whenever I had reflected on the idea of what news is, I had never even considered the idea that news stories are all myths. After thinking about it, the same stories have been around in some form since the beginning of human kind, and that is impressive to think about. Although humans have changed drastically in some aspects, we still can relate to these basic stories that change slightly depending on the era. In news, it is a way to relate to humans in a universal fashion. There is obviously something compelling and something we can take away from these myths if they have been around so long. Considering this, I think that Lule was correct with his conclusions he made in the last chapter. I think that in this last chapter, Lule did a terrific job of tying the entire book together and really proving his point.
ReplyDeleteWhile the final chapter was an excellent way of concluding his argument, I think that Lule did a good job of demonstrating myth in each chapter as well. I particularly liked that for each chapter on myth, Lule related a relatively current news story to a historical myth and then considered other social issues in the reporting of the story. For example, he reflected on impact of race during the trial and news covering of Tyson in the trickster chapter. I think that by introducing these ideas, Lule was able to make me contemplate the nature of myth even deeper.
While I do agree with the idea that news stories are made up of myths, I do not think that this is true for all news stories. I would like to ask Lule if he thinks there are exceptions to his proposed idea and if so, why do these stories exist? I would also like to ask him if he considered any other myths, if he thinks his list of myths are exclusive, or if there are more he didn’t explore. I would also be interested to hear how he came to his idea that news stories are myths, and if in his thought process he considered any other reasons why news stories exist.
After reading Lule’s "Daily News, Eternal Stories," there were many factors discussed in the media that I was unaware of before reading this book but found them interesting. In the media, I knew that things such as the hero and victim existed, but I really liked how Lule went on to break these ideas down in detail. Being an avid sports fan, I think certain myths like the hero, victim, and trickster can all be easily seen in the sports world today, and I really liked how Lule constantly gave examples of sports figures that fall under these myths. People like Mark McGuire, considered a hero, and Mike Tyson, considered a trickster were all relevant issues in which I could easily relate to.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of this book that I enjoyed was how much class discussion came from these issues that were brought up in Lule’s book. It was fun to try and analyze what celebrities or important figures in the media fit into each category. For things like the myth of the good mother, it was hard to figure out a famous male that fit this description, or for a hero, not many famous women came to mind when discussing this topic. After reading Lule’s book and learning about these myths, it makes me analyze news stories differently because I wonder where these people in the media today would fall under Lule’s myths. Whether it is a sports figure, a celebrity, or just an average person who happens to be in the news for something, these myths can be applied to almost any story out there.
I am excited we get to Skype Lule in class, because there are a few questions I would like to ask him to better my understanding of some of his myths. With how many sports references Lule made in his book, I would like to ask him where a guy like Manti Te’o fits into his myths, and Lance Armstrong. Obviously these two athletes have been all over the media recently, and have been portrayed in a negative way, so I am interested to see what Lule has to say about these two individuals. Also, when I read the chapter on the Trickster, some of the concepts confused me, so I would just like to hear him elaborate more on this trickster model.
I am so excited for the chance to Skype with Dr. Lule on Monday. His book really made change my look on news and storytelling in general. The book as a whole was compelling, but for me there was some chapters and parts that stood out more than others one being the hero. The hero could be made from just one incident, and when reporting the stories the hero’s information is reported in a way that gives them; a humbling background, a struggle of some sorts and then them overcoming it, or in the case that they died they were heroic for trying and making it as far as they did. This method of storytelling seems so like basic courtesy that I never would look deeper into it and like how it began and stayed the same for so long.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction swept me away; it addressed questions that I always ponder about in the back of my head since CIE, ‘how is it that so many cultures seem to have similar stories, from the cause to the result yet did not know about one another yet?’ and the introduction shed some light on this thought. In a different approach than that which was taught in CIE where they studied the religious aspects of the stories, Dr. Lule analyzes the story as a whole. Especially the flood in the introduction when he brought all the different cultures stories of the flood together to show how the telling of the story / myth had not been changed by location or time. I could see this clearly in each of his chapters about each of the myths.
My question for Dr. Lule is do you think there will ever be a new myth discovered or created or do you think that all stories will be able to fall into one of original seven myths?
After reading Lule’s book I can honestly say I look at news and media and how significant figures are portrayed in the news in a totally different light. We learned about the myths, victim, hero, trickster, scapegoat and it’s amazing how there are numerous examples of both in everyday news or at least every major news story. I thought it was interesting how Lule related his theory to famous figures and explained each theory thoroughly so the readers could easily grasp the material. (Maybe except the trickster still a little confused on that one)
ReplyDeleteEvery time I watch the news or read an article I’m looking for myths in the news and media I consume. Whether it is an athlete portrayed as a hero, or someone being a Good Samaritan portrayed as the “good mother” I find it very interesting to compare and contrast them to the characteristics we learned in Lule’s book. Like Ryan mentioned, I thought it was interesting how we could bring up celebrities in modern times today, and discuss them in class. Like we were reading about the victim, and during that class we discussed Te’o, and were able to give our opinions on what we thought about that subject before and after we read Lule. Modern examples as those, kept me engaged in the reading and with every myth we learned about I found myself exploring modern media to apply Lule’s theories and characteristics to.
My one question to Lule would be if he felt any of his myths have changed, or modernized over time. A lot of the figures he used for his myth were 90’s celebrities or figures, I would love to know if he felt the myths he described in his book, had evolved or altered in any way over the past two decades.
Before I changed my major to MCS two years ago, I had not made a habit of reading news. Here and there I would pick up a magazine or browse the web, but I was by no means a headline connoisseur. I remember noticing that much of what I read or watched was very similar, or so uninformative that I questioned its value as a news piece.
ReplyDeleteReading Lule's book did much to round out my understanding. So many of these stories were the same because a similar archetype is being perpetuated. The less formal pieces give character to a culture or set parameters for what is acceptable or normal. There is a feedback loop of what the reader expects to read, and the news' redundant themes and topics.
The concept of news as a story is pretty fascinating. We don't expect to read a series of dry bullet points or lifeless relaying of information. We expect movement and a degree of sentimentality from reading news. While we have accomplished a [mostly] unbiased news world, these stories aren't just raw information. But why not? Why not just offer the hard facts and leave the ageless characters by the wayside?
A question I would press to Dr. Lule would concern these myths and the growth of news as an industry. These stories may not always be factual, but often pepper our individual lives with assurance or sense of place. But should the news just be facts? Or has the press expanded what is considered valuable news to open the door to a larger audience?
I too had not made a habit of reading the news. For me, I just thought news to be very dry and repetitive. I'd rather just read the headlines to get a broad sense of what is going on presently. However, after reading Lule, he opened my eyes to see that news are actually stories that make a difference or reinforce our cultural values. I believe Lule has given me a step forward into distinguishing what society believes in and what I believe in. Also, I would like to use Lule's stories and myths concept to education which uses a type of story to maintain societal thoughts, ideals, and beliefs
DeletePrior to reading Lule's book, I did not realize the link myths and modern news shared with one another. I found it really interesting to learn about the different myths and how they are perpetuated by the news. After reading Lule's book, I have become a bit skeptical about the way news is reported, I have been paying more attention to the actual facts than the way the news is reported. For example, American mainstream media portrays areas in the Middle East, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan as places packed with threats towards the innocent American’s. News coverage of places like these ones help to perpetuate the myth of "the other world". This creates the belief that it is a "dark and disagreeable land that harbors an enemy" (Lule, 24). They do this through the glorification of news that paints the world outside of western civilization as a different world that America is shielding us from.
ReplyDeleteMy question for Dr. Lule is what myth have you found to be most successful at grabbing the attention of the public, and why?
After reading Lule's "Daily News, and Eternal Stories" I now feel like I am understanding news in a different way. Prior to reading his book I read news for what it seemed to be, a story. I had never thought about there being myths of commonalities within news. I always knew the media makes us see things the way that they want us to see it, but I never realized it was to the extent that it is. I've never been a fan of news media in particular, because of the fact that it can guide opinions and emotions in a particular direction, but now I do not mind it as much strictly because I enjoy searching for those myths that do guide us. My favorite myths to read about were the "Other world", "Trickster", and the "Hero". I often find myself getting the most riled up about these types of news stories, so it was interesting to find out what Lule believes the myths are for those, because they are a main contributor as to why I get worked up over those specific articles.
ReplyDeleteI would have a few questions for Dr. Lule. One of these questions would be if he had found any new commonalities he has found within the myths he has written about. The other question I would ask is if there are any potential new myths, or if any of the myths that he wrote about are "dying" out. I also wonder what he believes is the largest difference between the "hero" and the "good mother"
Jack Lule’s Daily News, Eternal Stories presents a convincing argument for news as myth. I enjoyed the read more than my typical assigned reading and was surprised how quickly we wrapped up the book in class. Lule taught me that news (and myth) is both cyclical and self-perpetuating due to its intrinsic value in human culture and education. I imagine it will be very difficult for me to un-see the archetypes of myth in virtually any news story I read from this point forward (much like how my screenwriting class last semester makes it hard for me to un-see how similar almost every movie is to one another in structure). Daily News, Eternal Stories doesn’t actually change my opinion of news itself, as my previous journalism courses have already taught me that news isn’t “new.” Rather, news stories tend to resemble others day in and day out; scandals are vaguely familiar, stories repeat and come full circle. I would like to ask Lule why he believes society relies so heavily on the retelling of these myths; if we could have survived this long without them; if we could ever outgrow the need for myth.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, identifying myth, in any subject area, is not an easy task. However, in Dr. Jack Lule’s Daily News, Eternal Stories, he makes it rather simple to identify the many myths within news journalism. The way in which he chose to format his findings and reserve full chapters on each individual myth made it easy for me to draw conclusions based on his work. After finishing his book, I realize that many of these myths bring about certain stereotypes. However, Dr. Lule does a great job at distinguishing the difference between a stereotype and an archetype. Throughout the process of completing his book, I have been able to spot many of the myths, particularly the myth of the victim, the myth of the scapegoat, and the myth of the hero. One of the many questions I would like to ask Dr. Jack Lule during our Skype conference, is if can possibly explain why these three myths seem to be more prevalent in today’s news headlines. Is this simply a journalism ploy to get readers? I would say that my opinion of news has changed in the sense that I now find myself looking or identifying these myth with each news article I have read recently, but I do not necessarily view the industry any differently than I have prior to reading Lule’s book. I think it is fair to say that it has changed my opinion of news in a way because I personally feel like they insert certain myths in order to get a reaction out of readers or perhaps gain more readers.
ReplyDeleteI think that this book addresses patterns of behavior that people don't pay close enough attention to. We as a society have a tendency to accept what we are told as true at all times. Things get difficult for us when we start to experience things that we are not used to. Myth is a safe grounding for us. Even the most bizarre stories can be twisted into the category of one of the myths Lule discusses.
ReplyDeleteNews addresses many uncomfortable stories. They can be very scary sometimes; the stock market plummeting, a volcano reaching it's capacity, and that is why we cling to these myths. These stories could be overwhelmingly emotional expressions, and so we reach out to these archetypal themes in our front page stories, and then we feel safe. Once we can establish that there are elements of this story that we have heard somewhere before, we are calm. The more times these stories show up, the more easily we can register these themes. Certain themes may be more prevalent in the news, and they are then the most easily recognizable, (the hero and the victim).
It may be second nature to the reporter nowadays to default to these most common myths found in news coverage. I suppose they my think that they don't have much of a choice if they want to keep their pieces easily digestible to the masses. People go where they want to go to get their information. They go where they are more comfortable. But, I believe that taking a risk with a piece and succeeding means much more to the people than leaning back and sticking with the customary process.
A question for Dr. Lule: Do you think we are moving away from race being a factor in what myths are brought out in a story, or that the practice is remaining customary?
I really enjoyed the way this book gave me a very different view of news and the way stories are portrayed to the public. I think this was a wonderful way to explain how the news becomes interesting through myths that describe societal norms. I have always known that news is told in a way that captures the viewer, but I always attributed it to the dramatic storytelling ability of the journalist or the topic itself, and never thought past that. It is so interesting to look at news stories being based of timeless myths because it makes it much easier to process the information. This is both because the stories are familiar, but also as Lule mentions, to help swallow difficult information by justifying it with myths that give reasons for life. I like the way Lule categorized the seven myths as well. He covered all the bases with identifying each type of character that would be used in a story telling technique. Each of the myths is something that I can identify with through stories that I’ve heard throughout my life, and I’ve found myself looking for them in news stories now. I am always able to find a myth in a story, even if it is only slightly reminiscent of one. In some stories I’ve even identified multiple myths and it is interesting to see how they balance each other and make all people involved seem more relatable or familiar. I’d like to ask Mr. Lule about how he decided to pursue this subject, and how he categorized the myths and reduced it down to just seven. If he could make a new edition of the book, would he add another myth?
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