A quick look at the news will tell you that there are a lot of things that go on in the world that need our attention. Between the conflicts in Syria, the Republican primaries and the daily issues that crop up we have quite a bit going on. That's why it baffles me when certain news stories get coverage to certain levels and others struggle to catch the eye of the media. I visited multiple news sights while writing this entry and I am surprised to see how some events can barely get a quality amount of coverage. It's surprising that on a day in which the US has launched new sanctions on Iran and people are getting killed in Syria that the biggest picture on MSNBC's website is of Clint Eastwood and talks about his Super bowl commercial's political effect. Really? Is this the type of journalism we need? At this point is the media still helping us or hindering our access to more valuable information?
Honestly, much of this content comes from what we have been discussing in class and about the role of the media. The media can be a great resource but, they can also be used to hide things and keep us in the dark by burying news stories. This is the inevitable issue with the media and it's something we have yet to figure out how to correct. Blogs and social media do a good job measuring reaction to news stories but they are as mainstream as CNN, FOX and MSNBC. With these major channels burying certain stories how do we expect people to get the full picture? When figuring out which stories should be reported in which order in my opinion it goes without saying that issues of politics, human rights and the environment are more important than analysis of a Super bowl commercial.
Ultimately, we are faced with the dilemma of searching out quality news (which most Americans wouldn't do because we like having our news brought to us) or continue being fed the same news which is so synthesized and broken down by so many analysts and experts sometimes it can lose sight of the main point. This is not an issue we can easily answer and part of the reason we don't know what's going on in the world is because the vast amount of world news for us goes unreported and lost.
I totally agree, and to add another side point to this is that the social media such as Facebook and Twitter do not reach the majority of Americans that vote because voter turnout is higher for older Americans than it is for people 18-25. This concerns me because many people are receiving just what MSNBC, Fox and CNN report on. If these news broadcasters would focus on the issues at hand instead of on personal attractions and dramatizations, America would be more aware of who their president is and what it going on around the world.
ReplyDelete