Hi!
Let’s going on talking about the elections. They are proceeding, both in the United States and in Italy. I noticed that the tone is changed here in Italy: the debate between Berlusconi and Veltroni is much more lively. On the contrary, in the United States the comparison between Obama and Hillary Clinton is more or less at the same level, even if there are still clashes.
Leaving his politically correct behaviour, Veltroni charges Berlusconi with running away from the comparison, he criticizes Berlusconi’s age and TV networks. Berlusconi’s reply to this is that Veltroni is a “recycled Stalinist” who talks nonsense.
After weeks of soft tones, I think that this change is due to the fact that there are only two weeks left to the elections and both leaders want to persuade the undecided voters. However, the two candidates’ main focus is on the question Alitalia; I think that it is surely an important matter, but both of them have to focus on the real problems of Italian people: poor salaries, low pensions, the high cost of everyday life. They talk about this topics but now Alitalia has been taken as a diversion to drive elsewhere people’s attention.
In the USA now the tendency is to attack the opponent’s advisers. Hillary criticized Obama because he didn’t dissociate from his pastor Jeremiah Wright, who made statements with racial background. Now there are comments on the ex general Merril McPeak, accused by the conservative media to have prejudices against Israel and its supporters.
The disputes are going on… We’ll see how they are going to end…!
Bye!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Elections from various points of view
Hi everybody!
I looked at three online newspapers, in order to see if there are similarities or differences in the way the news about elections are proposed. The three newspapers I chose are:
El País (Spain);
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
Corriere della Sera (Italy).
These news sources are not partial, so the general contents of the news about the candidates I am following (McCain and Berlusconi) are reported more or less in the same way.
As regards the position of the news, I noticed that those about McCain is usually not presented in the first page, even if we’ve got exceptions in particular cases ( for example when McCain speaks with George Bush or when he does an important speech). I think that it happens because the focus is centred above all on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, in fact their names appear more times than that of McCain in headlines and front pages. In The Guardian and in Corriere della Sera there are special pages about the American elections and profiles of the candidates are reported. There are also photos, useful links and various news linked to the elections. In El País the news about McCain is presented mostly like editorials or reportage, presenting photographs and videos.
As regards Berlusconi, the news about him are generally reported in the first page in Corriere della Sera, instead he is mentioned only in the world news in the other two newspapers. I think that it is so because in Italy in April there will be the elections, so now the focus is centred on the exponents of the two leading parties (PDL and PD). However, I noticed that, a couple of days ago, news about Berlusconi was present on the first page of El País; it was Berlusconi’s speech about a girl who has a precarious work, so he suggested her to get married with a millionaire, to avoid financial problems. This is obviously ridiculous, and so in El País there is a link with other Berlusconi’s howlers. I think that this fact is present only in El País because Spanish culture is more similar to ours than English and American culture, and so, like Italians, they emphasises ironical and strange aspects of things.
Bye!
I looked at three online newspapers, in order to see if there are similarities or differences in the way the news about elections are proposed. The three newspapers I chose are:
El País (Spain);
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
Corriere della Sera (Italy).
These news sources are not partial, so the general contents of the news about the candidates I am following (McCain and Berlusconi) are reported more or less in the same way.
As regards the position of the news, I noticed that those about McCain is usually not presented in the first page, even if we’ve got exceptions in particular cases ( for example when McCain speaks with George Bush or when he does an important speech). I think that it happens because the focus is centred above all on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, in fact their names appear more times than that of McCain in headlines and front pages. In The Guardian and in Corriere della Sera there are special pages about the American elections and profiles of the candidates are reported. There are also photos, useful links and various news linked to the elections. In El País the news about McCain is presented mostly like editorials or reportage, presenting photographs and videos.
As regards Berlusconi, the news about him are generally reported in the first page in Corriere della Sera, instead he is mentioned only in the world news in the other two newspapers. I think that it is so because in Italy in April there will be the elections, so now the focus is centred on the exponents of the two leading parties (PDL and PD). However, I noticed that, a couple of days ago, news about Berlusconi was present on the first page of El País; it was Berlusconi’s speech about a girl who has a precarious work, so he suggested her to get married with a millionaire, to avoid financial problems. This is obviously ridiculous, and so in El País there is a link with other Berlusconi’s howlers. I think that this fact is present only in El País because Spanish culture is more similar to ours than English and American culture, and so, like Italians, they emphasises ironical and strange aspects of things.
Bye!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Elections
Hi girls!
So, after the break, now we’re back with our blogs and our weekly discussions. This week we focus on the elections. It is an interesting and complex period, I try to follow it and I have to say that here in Italy it’s quite difficult, due to new associations within political parties, quarrels on the distribution of tasks etc.
Our task was to follow the candidates on the left or on the right and I followed the candidates on the right: senator McCain and Partito delle Libertà.
I watched the videos and I noticed some differences:
· In his videos, McCain focuses on individual values: courage, faith, strength; instead Berlusconi focuses on the people’s will of reaffirmation after the government of the left parties.
· McCain’s videos are much more evocative than those of Berlusconi. McCain videos are done like short films (with sound-tracks, scenes montage, sets, landscapes); instead Berlusconi’s videos are mostly interviews done in television news studios.
I think that these differences are linked with the fact that we’re talking about two different nations and cultures, but another reason is the personal history of the candidates. McCain is a veteran of Vietnam: one of his videos begins with an interview done when he was a soldier. He insists on courage, on the service for the mother country, on faith. These are the most important things for a soldier and McCain wants to behave like this to guide America. As Berlusconi is concerned, he wants to underline the negative aspects of the left government, to persuade people to vote for him and so the interview is the best way to talk about this, since it is more clear and direct. The common thing between them is the fact that both use slogans, for example McCain’s “A man in the arena” or Berlusconi’s “Stand up Italy!”. I think that these slogans are linked to the facts that I said before: McCain is a man in the arena, like a soldier who is fighting; Berlusconi underlines the fact that left parties led Italy into difficulty.
Bye,
Vale
So, after the break, now we’re back with our blogs and our weekly discussions. This week we focus on the elections. It is an interesting and complex period, I try to follow it and I have to say that here in Italy it’s quite difficult, due to new associations within political parties, quarrels on the distribution of tasks etc.
Our task was to follow the candidates on the left or on the right and I followed the candidates on the right: senator McCain and Partito delle Libertà.
I watched the videos and I noticed some differences:
· In his videos, McCain focuses on individual values: courage, faith, strength; instead Berlusconi focuses on the people’s will of reaffirmation after the government of the left parties.
· McCain’s videos are much more evocative than those of Berlusconi. McCain videos are done like short films (with sound-tracks, scenes montage, sets, landscapes); instead Berlusconi’s videos are mostly interviews done in television news studios.
I think that these differences are linked with the fact that we’re talking about two different nations and cultures, but another reason is the personal history of the candidates. McCain is a veteran of Vietnam: one of his videos begins with an interview done when he was a soldier. He insists on courage, on the service for the mother country, on faith. These are the most important things for a soldier and McCain wants to behave like this to guide America. As Berlusconi is concerned, he wants to underline the negative aspects of the left government, to persuade people to vote for him and so the interview is the best way to talk about this, since it is more clear and direct. The common thing between them is the fact that both use slogans, for example McCain’s “A man in the arena” or Berlusconi’s “Stand up Italy!”. I think that these slogans are linked to the facts that I said before: McCain is a man in the arena, like a soldier who is fighting; Berlusconi underlines the fact that left parties led Italy into difficulty.
Bye,
Vale
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