The media……..
I was just reading a post over at Allison and it got me to thinking about the media. Is it just me or does it seem that our newspapers, television and radio stations seem to get a high out of reporting news items that create anxiety or result in worry and fear? Now please don’t feel I am knocking journalism. If what is being reported is true and it is news, then go ahead. It just seems to me that quite often stories that could result in a smile from the reader/listener only get back page mention. Blood, gore, murder, a mishap at a hospital resulting in injury to a patient…these are the things that the news likes to focus on. It even happens with weather reporters. Heavy rain is reported as a storm. If a hurricane approaches, the way it is portrayed on the news, you get a feeling of fear….the foreign stations give you the ’storm update’ every fifteen minutes and you can ‘track’ it on your computer by logging on to…..http….(not that there may be any damn electricity to do so if the bad weather really hits!)
In addition, I have always wondered if there is not some agreement between the merchants and the media that results in a boost in their sales when a disturbance in weather is approaching. You are being encouraged to go out and buy loads of batteries, water, canned foods, matches, candles, plyboard, tape etc. Now don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with being prepared when a disaster is approaching, but in my opinion, the media only adds to making people more anxious rather than helping to calm people in such adverse situations.
Looking at it from the point of competition and viewership, I suppose you can’t blame a newspaper or television network if they are reporting what their audience wants to see or hear. I can only suppose that if a newspaper or TV station only focussed on the benign things about life, people would eventually stop listening and reading. Perhaps the same thing can be said about blogging. If an author wants to create hits and comments, then he/she will endeavour to write about issues that are controversial and may stir up people emotionally, making the likelihood of comments greater. Posts about the mundane things you did during the course of your day may well not bring you hits at all.
Anyway, I’m going to stop labrishing here myself, as you may well feel that all I’ve written here is not worth a fart either.
But, I suppose that’s my little input of ‘news’ for the moment. After all, this is just a blog, not CNN. More of my opinions are recorded here than anything else.
Tek it easy nuh.
September 4th, 2003 at 4:44 pm Soh gie wi some controversy nuh? Who a sleep wid who, who cyaa do di wuk, etc…
September 4th, 2003 at 7:40 pm I agree with you about how the media appears to be “excited” for reporting the downfalls of others. It isn’t just how they report the news, that is what they are paid for, but prime example about media and their constant “need to get the scoop first” is the death of Princess Di ~ the media played a large part of that awful wreck and instead of helping they were busy clicking their camera’s to get the first headline of the day ~ that is just one example ~ I guess we’ve all dropped into morbid land with the media if the only news we thrive to read and have reported is at the expense of other’s ~ I always immediately look for items in the Arts and Theater section or newly released books etc before reading headlines.
September 4th, 2003 at 9:41 pm Good points… there’s such a love/hate relationship with the media. Sadly, the fact is good news doesn’t sell papers. It could depend on a region, but most advertisers also back off during monumental events for fear of public backlash. The days after 9/11 and the day before we went to war with Iraq all of our advertisers pulled their ads. One of the ad guys told me a story how after JFK was assasinated how a company put out a full page apology for being so “callous” for advertising while the country mourned. It’s really touch & go when it comes to the public. Me? I’m a ghoul.
September 5th, 2003 at 3:15 am Sometimes I get so sick of the madness, I just go looking for the ‘mundane’.
September 5th, 2003 at 11:03 am I usually think it’s because the sensational news sells more papers. On stuff like this, though, I don’t think the bad is any more fun to read than the good. I think somebody has an agenda to keep us down.
September 5th, 2003 at 5:28 pm As a journalism major and former newspaperman (having worked at small, medium and large papers), the terrific stuff does sell. It’s not news if nothing awful happens. I loathe when a nonstory is made to appear larger than it is, something TV news does every single day. It’s like the old phrase: “If a dog bites a man, it’s not news. But if a man bites a dog, it is.”
September 6th, 2003 at 1:30 pm In my younger days, before marriage,kidlets and life’s realities set in I used to consider becoming a journalist. I decided against it when it dawned on me that quite often journalists are like vultures picking at the bones of the dead/dramatic/tragic occurances of the world. I could not see myself interviewing the family member of the most recent victim of a serial killer. These days it seems to be the nature of the game to sensationalize everything. I believe the media gets away with it all too often. I also agree that the media has vast power to increase fear rather than subdue it.