Term Paper Categories
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Media Vs. Masses...Who Controls Who?
| Term Paper Title |
Media Vs. Masses...Who Controls Who? |
| # of Words |
900 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) |
3.6 |
Media vs. Masses...Who Controls Who?
In the United States or any country with favorable or democratic government, freedom of the media is essential. However, many analysts believe that freedom granted to the media gives it power that may be used abusively, power to influence the public. These critics are against a sort of, "Lesse-fairre" attitude of the government towards the media. At the other end of the table however, some feel that freedom given to the media may go unchecked, for it is the people that influence the media and control that power. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between...
James Hallow attempts to approach this issue in his work "Why Americans Hate the Media". In this text Hallows examines the evolution of the media and its relationship to the public it caters to. In the thirties, media mimicked sleepytime Sunday morning political debates that one would watch on the public access channel. They, in many ways were considered "boring." Networks were growing more interested in attracting their audiences. As the years advanced and technology followed, media began taking different approaches to arouse the public. Conflicts on television where seen as a more interesting and productive approach to increasing ratings. After a while, interviewers would attempt to provoke debate, mud throwing and even emotion out of it’s political guests. Politicians who be allowed air-time to address questions presented by viewers and interviewers. One major complaint however, was that the media was more interested in evoking a response in the interviewed rather than probing issues that really mattered to the audiences. They would infact be more interested in impressing their peers with the questions they asked, rather than being interested in the answers. They ask questions like "Do you think Mr. Clinton will be re-elected? How do you plan to handle Newt’s new tax bill?" rather than "How is your tax bill going to directly effect the economy? How are your reforms going to change welfare and improve American life exactly?" The members of the media are seen as jackals eager for a story, prepared to place anything in the public’s eye in the name of ratings. In the thirties reporters as characters in films where seen as nitty-gritty heroes that shared the views and concerns on the every day common man. In recent films these same ‘heroes’ are portrayed as story hungry and unmoralistic. In many cases they are joked as being worse and less trust worthy than lawyers. This change in the portrayal of media in movies is a reflection of the publics cynical view towards them. The fact that many real life figures of media p...Read entire document
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