Questioning the Truth of the News Essay -- Television Newspaper Media

INTRO/PROBLEMS The window to the world can be covered by a newspaper,† this quote by Polish writer Stanislaw Lec sums up the problem with the news media. It is the job of the news media to provide the public with news events happening around the world. Without these news reports, people would be oblivious to what is going on around them. Our lives rest in the media's hands, and they are fully aware of this. The news is a very competitive business, and because of this what gets reported is not necessarily what the story is. Since there are different journalists reporting on the same events, each newspaper and newscast has its own way and style of reporting. They also have different gate keeping processes that make them unique. They may do anything to get the story, no matter whose lives they destroy. Criticizing the news has become increasingly popular recently due to the fact that the media has shifted from a positive to a negative view in the public's eyes. Since every newscast and newspaper is different, the stories that they broadcast to the public may be altered in one way or another. As the quote above illustrates, the news media do not always illustrate the world in the right perspective and can hinder the way people look at it. It seems as though it is the job of the news to report only on negative aspects of the world. Hardly ever does one see anything positive being reported. This throws everybody’s perception off about the world around them. The media influence society’s opinions rather than having people form opinions themselves. Newspapers and newscasts use a process called agenda setting to keep the public thinking about certain issues while avoiding other issues that might be more important. Agenda setting i... ..., D. (2003). So was saving private jessica a sham? Daily Mail (London), 18, 19. 8) N.A. (2004). Pentagon papers. Encarta Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 14, 2004, from http://encyclopedia.com/html/p/pentp1ap.asp. 9) N.A. (2004). Watergate scandal. Encarta Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 14, 2004, from http://encyclopedia.com/html/section/Watergat_TheWatergateBreak-in.asp. 10) N.A. (2001). The Pentagon papers. National Press Club. Retrieved on April 14, 2004, from http://www.vva.org/pentagon/history/history.html. 11) Perse, E. (2001). Media effects and society. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 12) Priest, D. (2003). Is jessica a war hero? The Vancouver Province, C1. 13) Todorovich, L (1997). Deep throat suspects. The Washington Post. Retrieved on April 14, 2004, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/deept.htm.