So we just finished up a debate on whether or not the media effectively served the needs of the American Democratic political system. And the answer is: Kinda.
Nowadays, the majority of Americans are hooked on something I like to call "Trash TV". Under the umbrella of "trash TV" are those 'who's the father' talk shows, reality shows, horrible soap operas, and not-so-funny sitcoms that take up time slots throughout the day. Prior to or following these shows are news broadcasts. It is highly convenient for Jane Doe to catch the 4 o'clock news after 'General Hospital'. Stations such as ABC, FOX and CBS are aware that the time setup is this way to draw in more viewers. It is safe to say that our society is influenced by what they read and what they see on television, as it is their most convenient source to what is going on in the world. These stations aren't ignorant to the fact that they influence many of the peoples' decisions. Now if it is said in the news that a politician changed the way he voted on the topic of gay marriage in the present from the way he voted 8 years ago, it is insinuated that he is a 'flip-flopper' and a horrible person. However, the news stations that millions of people tune into might not cover the fact that the specific politician had a son that recently announced that he was homosexual. A nation with Christian origins may turn their nose up to a presidential candidate if the news show they tune into after Oprah announces that the candidate's parents are of the Islamic faith. Stations with a specific partisan bias do announce their stories this way. Conservative stations made sure to emphasize that President Obama's middle name was Hussein, just as liberal stations make sure to harp on scandals of conservative politicians.
Scandals are of American interest. We love to be bad, and apparently love to follow 'bad' people. We're all over Britney Spears's hoo hoo slip, the drugs Lindsay Lohan snorts, and Roy Ashburn's sexual preference. Our news stations make sure that we're aware when scandals occur, but forget to make sure that we know about Pakistan's floods, and when voting occurs.
To not fully bash the media, there is definitely ways that we all benefit as American citizens from our resources. We are able to point and click to any piece of information about anything to do with politics. We have access to what our politicians are up to, what's being voted on, and what's going on in other countries. While news stations sometimes give us trash news and biased stories, we become aware of issues that may directly or indirectly affect us.
Overall, mass media gives us what we need... most of the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment