The two cases that I have chosen to discuss are 5-A (Anderson Cooper's Not So Private Life, CH. 5- Lee Wilkins, University of Missouri) and 7-B (Netflix: Not So Fast...A Response to Customer Furor, CH.7- Lee Wilkins, University of Missouri). Though 5-A appears to deal with a singular person in news anchor Cooper, it is really a media ethics issue as to how much do we as viewers have the right to know about those who deliver us the news. Do we even have this right as it is not in the Constitution? Let us delve deeper.
"Don't ask, don't tell"- a military term when it came to the LGBTQ community enlisting. You could be gay but it was against policy to reveal such information and if you did, you could be discharged. But what if you are one of the most popular and successful news anchors in the country? What personal standards should you have to adhere to? In July of 2012, Anderson Cooper of CNN’s “AC360” confirmed what many had “assumed” for many years: that he was gay.
Via statement/letter to Andrew Sullivan who writes for the Daily Beast, Cooper had this to say: “The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be anymore happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.” To be proud of who you are is something to be admired but was it Anderson’s responsibility to share the details of his sexuality and what makes the media think that we have a right to this information?
This is where the slope gets slippery. Cooper is from a very prominent family, his mother being heiress and fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt. Interestingly enough, she was married to her fourth husband when she had Anderson in 1967. That seems pretty controversial from the get go. Anderson’s brother also committed suicide in 1988 by jumping from the family balcony. The family is already used to controversy by now so it seemed that Anderson took his life into his own hands at a very early age.
He started working as a Ford model when he was only 11 and literally made a life for himself away from his prestigious family. He may not have known the ramifications, if any, if he were to come clean with his personal life. He also had a job with Channel One that broadcast throughout classrooms. A naïve educational system could argue they did not want their students to learn from a gay man.
In 2007, “Out Magazine” named Anderson the second most influential gay man in the United States yet he had not confirmed nor denied. Five years later, it was like a huge revelation everyone had been waiting for but why? Is his preference towards the same sex top news that trumps wars, bombings, kidnappings, and shootings? Does it override all of the amazing work that he did during 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina (2005) as he is one of the most hands-on journalists in the world?
Anderson is an amazing journalist however, when he reports about LGBTQ news, is it his responsibility to say he is gay? As someone who is and has been so respected, I think that there is a part of him that should have come out sooner, if only to help a generation of those who are searching for themselves. The LGBTQ community needs as many respectable and successful people as possible so that they can know you can be gay and still be anything that you desire.
Anderson, in my opinion, has a social responsibility to his young fans to be honest about who he is but does that qualify as hot news? No. Is it a leading media topic? No. Is it ethical to question his sexuality and opt to not like him for who he sleeps with? Up for debate. He is who he is and if you respected his phenomenal journalistic abilities prior to him coming out then that should not diminish how one feels after the fact. Not to mention that his mother’s collection is now being sold at Wal-Mart; just adding that in.
Onto 7-B and Netflix. I do have a Netflix subscription as well as Hulu which has completely replaced my regular television viewing. I also have a DVR so I can skip through unnecessary advertisements, those which keep said shows I love on air. Netflix has been around for nearly twenty years, something that I was unaware of. It put a monopoly on chains such as Blockbuster as they delivered DVD’s to fans without the worry of late fees.
Netflix is the equivalent of Amazon (my opinion) as noted on page 176 because the founders Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings relied solely on mail orders with no stable chain stores. Amazon has been quite the same as you can only order merchandise online and has helped put chain bookstores like “Barnes and Noble” and “Waldenbooks” out of business. Secret: Amazon is beginning to open stores which is most likely an even bigger attempt to monopolize book store chains and put them out of business.
Netflix is an amazing concept for, as stated in the book, it allowed viewers to see new releases within six months of theatrical release. This was after the company started using the Internet for unlimited subscription watching along with the now fading mail-DVD services. The Internet then allowed subscribers to watch endless amounts of movies without leaving the comforts of their homes. In 2016, they now have incorporated TV shows, reality shows, and all types of films one may not have been aware of without this service.
However, with growth and change came a price change that not everyone was a fan of. Those who had been with the service from the beginning loved the DVD access as well as the instant streaming but now they had to choose: for just instant and unlimited movie streaming, it was $8 yet to continue the DVD service, there was an additional $7 fee. Fans were outraged and the service lost nearly one million subscribers. When stock dropped, management made the decision to backtrack and issued an apology.
“Consumers value the simplicity Netflix has always offered and we respect that. There is a difference between moving quickly- which Netflix has done very well for years- and moving too fast, which is what we did in this case.” They started to rebound quickly enough but left a detail out. To have Netflix on multiple devices, there is an extra fee. I think that what Netflix did was brilliant as they took responsibility for a mistake where they appeared too big for their britches. With over twenty million subscribers, it is easy to get a big ego.
I personally like Hulu much more than Netflix because they appeal to me (the media/consumer) in a way that Netflix lacks. I can watch a whole series (and have more choices in terms of TV choices) and it takes about nine episodes for the server to ask if you are still there. Netflix allows three episodes before they stop and ask if you would like to continue and I do not like that. I do not want to be bothered when I am binge-watching “The Real Housewives of Orange County” or “The Voice.”
On the flip side, Netflix is brilliant when it comes to specialty shows like the controversial "How to Make A Murderer." A full season of the cult hit “Orange Is the New Black” is released all at once, which is what fans dream of. On the 26th of February, “Fuller House” will be released, all thirteen new episodes, on Netflix, at once. Binge-watchers dream come true. Both Netflix/Hulu are unique because if a show fails on network TV (“Arrested Development” and “The Mindy Project”), they can find a new home. The developers can directly tap into what viewers want; they are the new form of Nielsen and then bring it within a matter of days if not minutes.
It has put a monopoly on cable and satellite and in big business, I say it is every man for themselves. Is it ethical? Yes, because these streamers are closely observing fans and are making sure that they satisfy and leave little stones unturned. I am not opposed at all. *It must be noted that Hulu has a commercial and commercial-free option which varies by about $4*
To conclude, when it comes to Anderson Cooper’s sexuality, the media can be satisfied that their speculations were right but they do not have to let it overshadow all the good that he has done. And as for Hulu/Netflix…I am a huge fan and they have specifically tailored the viewing options to what makes me happy. And I like to be happy.
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