Media Responsibility
How the Media and 24 Hour News Programming is Dumbing Us Down…
What do you see when you turn on CNN at any given point in time (aside from Lou Dobbs crying and whining without actually doing anything)? How about Fox News? If there is breaking news, which channel do you go to first? Why? These are all good questions and I want to go over some of those questions briefly, but my main concern is the responsibility the media has to provide actual news coverage over real issues and not just looped reports discussing which actress got into trouble over the weekend. We have gossip shows, websites, and magazines if we need celebrity news and propaganda.
I believe the media has a responsibility to report “real” news even if they do not get the highest ratings (topics such as world events and issues, local events and issues). I would like to see a 24 hour news channel take the initiative and say… “From this day forward, we here at [fill in the blank] will no longer be reporting any issue regarding a celebrity.”
Can you imagine the buzz that statement would create?
Can you imagine the amount of time and resources that cutting out celebrity gossip would free up for the investigative reporters to do some actual investigative reporting? As I stated before, making a statement and change like that would also create a huge buzz and lots of attention for the station. I can only imagine how much quality information and news is out there that is not being reported because these news stations are spending valuable resources collecting worthless information for the sake of immediate rankings. I believe that if one of the news stations took the stance that I suggest, they will build their credibility and become the one stop source for every one of us out here that is looking for actual news and not a waste of time such as if Brittany Spears cut her hair off again… geeze, what a waste of time and dumbing down of America.
Let’s talk about your favorite news channel. Why is that station your favorite? Are you a supporter of celebrity gossip? I know I still am, though less of a supporter than I used to be. But why are we still supporters of celebrity gossip, and why am I still a supporter, even though I think I know better? Here’s why: If we get our news from the 24 hour news channels, even if we just watch for a minute, we are a supporter of celebrity gossip because every 24 hour news station reports on celebrity gossip at some time.
“Well then,” you may say to yourself, “I am just going to get my news from the newspaper or news magazines.” If you have access to a newspaper or news magazine that doesn’t have at least one article pertaining to celebrity gossip, please order me a subscription! I’ll pay twice the asking price!
I think the main reason a particular news channel may be your favorite or “go to” is because it may have a bias towards your way of thinking. Is that the real reason? Undoubtedly, yes. Is there anything wrong with that? No. Why are the news stations set up in a way as to be biased to the left or right? I believe it’s because the producers of the station believe that being biased is the only way to get good ratings. Unfortunately these mindless people think that people in America are stupid beyond their imagination. Unfortunately, by having that belief, they are helping create our destiny. I will try to explain how.
The more “fake” news that the news stations report, the more “real” news gets left unreported. This way of reporting will cause any “real” issue to be left unattended to and any real problem in our society that we ignore, will only be exacerbated by that ignorance. If you get a cut on your hand, do you just ignore the wound or do you try and keep it clean so it doesn’t get infected? I think the issues that the media ignores are like cuts on each of our hands. I believe that the news outlets see the cuts on each and every person’s hand in America, but choose to ignore the cuts in order to have more time for the gossip (more time for ratings). Gossip sells, but if you have enough small cuts, you will bleed to death. I don’t want America to bleed to death because our journalists and news stations are too worried about ratings and not worried at all about doing the right thing. I believe you can make money by either doing the right thing or by doing the wrong thing, but the only way to be truly successful as a business, news station, and ultimately our country, is by doing the right thing. Ignoring the real issues in our country and around the globe will ultimately cause a slow deterioration of the delicate fabric of our society by “dumbing us down” and allowing the small cuts to continue to bleed.
Another problem with our media outlets is the FCC’s overturning of the cross-ownership ban. Now the media providers in the top 20 markets can own newspapers, television, and radio stations. Listen to the NPR interview of FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. If you listen to that interview, Jonathan articulates how the consolidation of local news outlets is harming democracy by silencing local voices. I just can’t wait until we get down to one media outlet that owns all the news stations and newspapers!
I believe we can change our course for the future. We can force the media conglomerates to provide useful information for the people if we get out there and voice our opinions and vote. As soon as the news station you’re watching starts to discuss gossip or celebrity “news”, change the channel. Stop watching the station if you have to… but ultimately, make your voice heard by not watching, emailing, writing, and calling the station to tell them to stop with the nonsense, and only watching those stations that limit or do not indulge in gossip news. We will ALL be better off and I dream of the day when we stop dumbing down America, and start building her up!
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Anessa...
how you not like to drink. Its cool unlike you...
Chris...
What would happen if McCain DOES become president!!!?? He does have an awful temper....
Matt, you’re living in a fantasy world. No media outlet will ever cut out celebrity gossip.
Ryan,
Let’s hope that if enough of us voice our opinion, one of the stations will show some cahone’s and take a stand. Wouldn’t it be nice to know you can turn your tuner to a station and receive some actual real relevant news?