The Onion vs CNN

In The Know: Should The Nation's Unemployed Be Buying New Apple Computers?

The “news” story from The Onion holds a discussion on buying new Apple products in order to help with the job search. The pro-Apple side argues that a new Apple product will help them stay on top of job listings and keep up to date with current technology. The oppositional side soon points out that everyone is “drinking the Apple Kool-Aid” and that a new computer doesn’t help anyone get a job more than the old one does. Apple products are also very expensive and unemployed people should not be buying them. The argument turns very comical and quite critical when the pro-Apple side “censors” the opposition when they are making a valid point and tells one of them to leave. During this moment, there is a lot of silence that allows the viewer to think which makes people realize how Apple fools everyone into continually buying its new products. Jamie Warner describes this type of culture jamming as “rebelling against the hegemony of the messages promoting global capitalism.” The “real” news story from CNN.com homepage covers the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The story highlights that they will be riding in a Jaguar limousine instead of a traditional carriage. CNN also covers the brand of dress Kate Middleton will wear. This story is about a fantasy life promoting consumerism. The practice of gatekeeping and agenda-setting are evident in these news stories. In terms of gatekeeping, it appears that the Onion does not limit itself on the stories it publishes. It also appears to set its agenda as a culture-jamming news source to, as Warner would say, “potentially [jam] the transmission of the dominant political brand message.” The CNN news story suggests that CNN sets its agenda to draw attention to this out-of-touch fantasy world.