Things I learned about the media this week

I'm taking four mass communications/journalism classes this semester, so, needless to say, I'm picking up a lot of interesting info on the media these first few weeks. Here's just a few of the things that have surprised me:

1. First TV show to show racial diveristy? Star Trek. I found this rather amusing and also pretty cool because it represented diversity not only in the present, but also the future. Aparently Martin Luther King, Jr. thought it was pretty neat, too, because he ended up convincing Nichelle Nichols (who played the African-American ship's communication officer Uhura) to stay on the show as a symbol of equality. On an interesting side note, I came across an article which claims that the design of modern "flip phones" can trace it's origins to Star Trek. Read the article at http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/star-trek/ .

2. Commercial speech (advertising) had no legal protection under the 1st amendment until the '70's. It was regarded as less important than "pure speech," or speech that promotes open debate.

3. Hate speech must be directed at an individual before it can be called such and loses it's protection under the 1st amendment. Any other offensive speech aimed at a group can only be called "hateful speech." There must also be evidence that hate speech incites violent feelings in the victim.

4. There is a large industry of business-to-business (B2B) magazines that span virtually every trade. I imagine this is common knowledge for many people, but it was news to me. Who knew there were magazines with names like American Window Cleaner or Hard Hat News? One of the most amusing titles I've come across is Portable Restroom Operator. Good bathroom reading, I'm sure.