Who Do You Consider a Media Hero? Collect and Trade Them!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:42 -0700

If your Garbage Pail Kids cards are long forgotten (or Pokemon perhaps?) it might be time for a new set to collect and trade. Who might be better than a pack of media luminaries who've changed the tenor of discourse? The folks at Reclaim the Media know that it takes more than a .400 batting average to make a difference and wind up on a card - that's why they've created their own Media Heroes trading cards.

Here's what they have to say about why:

Media heroes are everywhere: journalists, activists, media innovators and educators making sure that we all have access to media that supports democratic values of justice, community and respect. Some media heroes are solitary voices keeping a candle of truth burning through a period of darkness. Others are organizers working to expand the range of people who can wield the power of publishing and broadcasting, or reveal hidden aspects of the media that is all around us.

The decks are $16 and feature original portraits of 21 different media heroes with biographies on the back. Who do they consider heroes? The Sesame Street pioneers, Children's Television workshop, which sought to combine education and entertainment as well as prioritizing service for lower-income kids who didn't have the leg up of preschool, for one. Also, Frederick Douglass who spoke out against slavery while writing for the newspaper, The Liberator, and PBS' Bill Moyers, who they say is "a singularly ardent advocate for journalistic ethics and the pursuit of authentic democracy."

Who are your media heroes? Would you put an Olbermann or a Nancy Grace into the mix? How about a Brokaw or a Cooper?

Pep-Rally for Brains Over Brawn? Academic Trading Cards!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:15:10 -0700

Blah, blah, sports, blah. Not a popular sentiment, I realize - I mean they're fun to watch and all (I hear) but I'd rather know the names of the leaders of Zimbabwe than whether the World Series has happened yet. I just get concerned over the culture of idolizing athletes - because when has a touchdown ever cured cancer?

That's why I'm particularly excited over Penn State's new line of academic trading cards. Just like baseball cards (or the media heroes cards), the glossy collectables tout the top faculty members. According to the university president, "We have many great faculty, and they are surely worthy of the accolades our society often lavishes on athletes, coaches, and celebrities in the entertainment world." Hear, hear!

To take a peek at what they look like and whose featured, read more.

I mean, imagine if this girl was a excited about Glaciologist Richard Alley and his work, as listed on his card: "He unlocked the SECRET of the Greenland ice core." Take that to the free-throw line! The cards are sadly not for sale, but maybe even better they're being given away at football tail-gate parties. What more perfect place to nudge university fans into remembering that the school is well rounded and says the president, of "the important work being done by our leading scholars." No word on whether the cards come packaged with gum though. . .

Source

TresSugar

Who Do You Consider a Media Hero? Collect and Trade Them!

Pep-Rally for Brains Over Brawn? Academic Trading Cards!