the media only covers celebrity issues to distract us from reall world issues...

Good evening. First, I would like to thank my opponent for opening this debate and extending the challenge to all members of this website. With formalities out of the way, let us proceed: Now before I go on to my opponent's opening argument, I would like the address the ambiguity of the resolution. The resolution goes as follows: "the media only covers celebrity issues to distract us from reall world issues..." Observation 1: Let us take into account dictionary. com' s definition of "only." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Show Spelled Pronunciation[ohn-lee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adverb 1. without others or anything further; alone; solely; exclusively: This information is for your eyes only. 2. no more than; merely; just: If it were only true! I cook only on weekends. 3. as recently as: I read that article only yesterday. 4. in the final outcome or decision: You will only regret your harsh words to me. –adjective 5. being the single one or the relatively few of the kind: This is the only pencil I can find. 6. having no sibling or no sibling of the same sex: an only child; an only son. 7. single in superiority or distinction; unique; the best: the one and only Muhammad Ali. –conjunction 8. but (introducing a single restriction, restraining circumstance, or the like): I would have gone, only you objected. 9. Older Use. except; but: Only for him you would not be here. —Idiom10. only too, a. as a matter of fact; extremely: I am only too glad to go. b. unfortunately; very: It is only too likely to happen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Having taking the above definition into account, the resolution can mean one of two things: A) The media's ONLY REASON for covering celebrity issues is to distract the public from reall(sic) world issues. B) The Media covers celebrity issues alone to distract the public from reall(sic) world issues. I will address both A and B in my case. In case it is A, it would mean that accepting the assumption (that the media covers celebrity issues to distract the public from the real world issues) would not be considered a concession for this debate in particular. Observation 2: Let us pay special attention to the word "media" by again looking at its definition provided by dictionary.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This meï¿½diï¿½a1 /ˈmidiə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[mee-dee-uh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. a pl. of medium. 2. (usually used with a plural verb) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely: The media are covering the speech tonight. –adjective 3. pertaining to or concerned with such means: a job in media research. —Usage note Media, like data, is the plural form of a word borrowed directly from Latin. The singular, medium, early developed the meaning "an intervening agency, means, or instrument" and was first applied to newspapers two centuries ago. In the 1920s media began to appear as a singular collective noun, sometimes with the plural medias. This singular use is now common in the fields of mass communication and advertising, but it is not frequently found outside them: The media is (or are) not antibusiness. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ï¿½ Random House, Inc. 2006. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basically, media can be defined as television, newspapers, and magazines that are able to reach and influence the general public or specific parts of the public. Since the resolution simply states "the media", there is no individual section of the media which is being addressed here. Thus, if I am able to show any individual sect of the media which covers issues which don't concern the media, I have successfully negated the resolution. Now, I shall address my opponent's opening argument: My opponent's initial statements are fallacious as he is telling you that if Americans see the corruption of the government, they will revolt. This reasoning is classified as slippery slope as he is telling you that one event will inevitably follow another without any argument provided for the inevitability of the event in question. His argument is also flawed because he simply doesn't provide any evidence to suggest all parts of the media ONLY cover celebrity issues. He states that he'll do this in the next round, but I assure you that he will be unable to abide by the terms of the resolution he created. Now, I will provide my arguments on the resolution. First, I will disprove the two possibilities I mentioned in observation #1. Possibility A) This is easily disproven. For example, when it's taken into account that the news media covers issues concerning celebrities, it's often due to the fact that celebrities are within great interest of the public. With great public interest comes great ratings. With great ratings comes more revenue from allowing advertisements. Once again, under this possibility, the statement "The Media only covers celebrity issues to distract us from real world issues" could be accepted without the Contender of this debate making a concession. Possibility B) This is just as easy to disprove as the media doesn't ONLY cover celebrity issues. For example, the news media has covered events of great interest such as the War in Iraq as well as Hurricane Katrina. Now, based on how the resolution is worded, my opponent can only argue from one of the two possible stances. If he attempts to argue from any other stance, it is to be considered red herring and should thus be dismissed. Second, I will disprove the single possibility mentioned in observation #2: The media doesn't only cover Celebrity issues. For instance, scientific journals cover new theories and ideas as well as the results to experiments or the sake of living up to the scientific method. One example is enough to disprove that the notion that the media lives for the purpose of covering issues on celebrities to distract the citizens from real world issues. I now stand ready for my opponent's rebuttal. Good Night.