Media Too Powerful Essay Example For Students

Media Too Powerful? Essay Exposure to the media is a constant event. It begins as soon as the radio or television are turned on, or as soon as a newspaper or magazine are opened.. The television, radio, newspaper and magazines are all ready to give us their spin on the top stories of the day. Some try to give us facts, with as little of their input and thoughts as possible, some work only on rumors and inuendoes, while others give us facts but slanted to their way of thinking (Kurtz 1). The media contributes to public opinion and provides understanding of the news. The media entertains us, watches government and social institutions, and gives the public information for debate and discussion about local and international affairs. The media and journalists are protected under the lst Amendment, but does freedom of the press imply the freedom to be sensational, to be biased, to be inaccurate? Does the lst Amendment protect the media if it prints or discusses lewd or pornographic material at the expense of the ge neral public? The government needs to take control of the media (Stengel 3). There is a need to get accurate information that is unbiased. The media needs to be held accountable and not hide behind its cries of free speech and censorship. With some restrictions and some intergity, the media will still have plenty to report, debate, review, and still be a watch dog of sorts. The government is here for the protection of the people, and there are some areas that the media only endangers our safety, whether it is on health issues, privacy issues, or in international affairs. There are some places that the media does not have a very good perspective on national security or individual privacy (Stengel 1). The government could look at ways to assist the media on a bi-partisan approach. It is time the media and our government does what is best for the American people, not for personal or political gain (Hannon 3). Government should put restrictions on the areas the media can report. Newspapers and magazines shape Americas views and opinions. Newspapers have diverse content, producing in-depth stories and news analysis. They represent many perspectives with a wide range in subject matter. Newspapers do investigating reporting, express personal opinion, reviews, as well as gossip. Some newspapers are gossip oriented, while others are news and analysis oriented. There are specialized newspapers that have mass appeal with a national view (Merrill 1). Magazines appeal mainly to the elite, well-educated, and the opinion leaders. Generally, magazines are more incisive, interpretive and more comprehensive than newspapers (Merrill 3). The main function of newspapers are to inform and summarize, while magazines explain, criticize, interpret and comment. Magazines supplement newspapers (Berninghausen 4). Radio and television have a significant place among the media. Radio mainly provides entertainment, although National Public Radio provides facts, views and opinions on ma ny subjects. National Public Radio is noncommercial and is supported by the government as well as the public through donations (Merrill 3). Television produces on the spot broadcasts of major events, documentaries, political views and opinions, terrorist episodes, and international crises. Through satellites, news is flashed instantly from all over the world. With cable television, some stations produce news reports twenty-four hours a day. Since the mid-1990s, two-thirds of our nations homes are equipped with cable. The broadcast networks, including public television, are discussing new strategies for presenting the news (Beringhausen 8). The media has had a major impact on trials. They put forward information, interview prosecutors, attorneys, the accused, the accused relatives, and with all the information that is given, facts, opinions and views all seem to become distorted. It isnt possible for all to be telling the truth, and even when the accused goes to trial and a verdict i s reached, the media second guesses what the judge and jury were thinking (Ross 1). Public opinion has no place in a trial. A judge and jury reaches a verdict based on the laws that pertain to a crime. The facts should be laid out and a decision made based on those facts (Ross 2). The Freeman of Montana were tried via the television before and during the trial by the media. The views of the Freeman seemed so obsurd to the majority of the American public, it was a great topic for the media to pursue. It involved the rights of individuals as well as the rights of government. In essence, it placed the government against its own citizens. The Montana Freemen refuse to recognize the United States justice system. They would not participate in their own trial and felt they were above the laws of the United States. They had formed their own state and governing body. The Freeman are currently in jail awaiting additional trials under the United States jurisdiction (Pellegrini 1). Oprah Winfre y felt she won a victory for free speech after a jury said she was not liable for disparaging statements made during her talk show about cattle. A cattlemen group sued her for her opinions stated on television. Their arguement was that with free speech comes responsibility. Paul Engler, who was the first to file suit, felt Winfrey and her guest made false statements about U.S. beef and that her show was consistently sensationalistic. Winfrey has a talk show that is among the highest rated shows during that time slot. Her opinion is taken as statement of fact by her viewers. The cattlemen felt that because of her opinion and her importance in the media field, they had lost millions of dollars. The jury was unanimous in their acquital of Winfrey (Chandler 1). The Oklahoma City bomb trial had so much media attention that the judge ordered that the jury be shrouded in secrecy. This meant that the media did not have access to the jurors biographical information and they were partially shielded in court behind a partition. The judge claimed the partition was built to keep the jury focused, not to keep the spectators from seeing the jury. The judge also required a gag order on the attorneys. The judge ruled that the court of public opinion was closed until the trial had a verdict. A media lawyer suggested the public is better informed when attorneys discuss what is transpiring publicly, but the judge suggested their aim was to confuse the public (Ross 1). Paranoid Schizopreina EssayThe news media in California has some restrictions imposed when they seek access to school grounds, including registration, accompanied by a staff member while on school grounds and denial of permission to enter classes that are in session. School officials can require the news media to leave the school grounds if their presence interferes with the peaceful conduct of educational activities. The school district may not require parental permission before allowing members of the news media to interview students. School officials have the authority to deny acess to members of the news media, as they may deny access to anyone, if their presence would interfere with the peaceful conduct of the school activities (Kronick 2). In California, restrictions were placed on the media in regards to access to prisons and executions. Journalists were banned from conducting any face to face interviews with specific prison inmates. The media claims this hampers their abilities to convey to the public the true conditions of Californias prisons. It also deprives the tax-paying public the avenue of oversight into the administration of the states penal system. There was an attempt to reverse this ban, but the governor of California vetoed it. The San Francisco Bay Guardian maintains this ban has hurt the public and the prisoners (The San Francisco Bay Guardian 2). The United States is not alone in its attempt to regulate and restrict the media. Britons have called for restrictions on the British media after the relentless press pursuit of Princess Diana. Some Britons want a privacy bill to stop all the media from pursuit of celebrities and ordinary people.The media is accused of the aggressive intrusion into Princess Di anas privacy that lead to her death. Currently, the British press is largely free of state intrusion. The government uses contempt on court and defamation laws to keep the media in check. The British press is trying to distance itself from the celebrity photographers, referred to as the paparazzi, claiming they are a law unto themselves (Barlow 3). Our President has been the focus of our media. In an attempt to rush scoops, journalist tend to exaggerate small distinctions and use unreliable information to produce a story. Rumor becomes allegation, then allegation becomes fact. The reports state that something may have happened with a Whitehouse intern. The press named this scandal Zippergate, and by the second day of hearing of the alledge incident, the media was already talking about resignation and impeachment (Stengel 1). The rumors spread like a virus. The general public hears so many conflicting reports, the easiest answer would be just to turn it off. The media has made a job out of taking polls on the Presidents popularity, honesty, and personal morals. They try to judge how much damage the accusations have cost him and his presidency. The media has yet to show how this is beneficial to the American public. It has shown how the media benefits from it, with increased sales of newspapers and higher ratings with news broadcasts. The thing that is lost in the effort to get the big story is perspective (Stengel 3). The media has a large influence over political candidates. With the advances in telecommunication tools such as telephones, faxes, and computers and with live television coverage of candidates, the media is able to deliver a campaign message and gauge public opinion (DeGroat 1). Candidates are subject to much greater scrutiny, with greater emphasis on raw coverage, talk shows, town-hall meetings, and live television segments.With just the way the media asks a question, they can slant how the public will view the candidate (Kurtz 1). Talk radio has changed political campaigns and the way the country reacts and pursues issues. With news operations becoming increasingly competitive, many reporters lack the background to do their work adequately. The media has been accused of herd behavior, but CNN blames the chaotic environment that journalist operate in. One of the biggest problems in the media is the porportion of importance of each story (Kurtz 3). Governments have restrictions it ca n impose on the media. They can restrict or restrain the press from publishing matter considered seditious, libelous, or obscene. Freedom of the press has been limited in the areas of obscenity and pornography, although the courts have had difficulty in setting standards of censorship. The media can be barred from criminal proceedings (Berninghausen 8). Restrictions of the media occurs during times of national emergency . The future of a free press in the United States depends on public opinion, the legislative agencies, and the courts (Francis 2). Freedom of the press should not come before individual rights to privacy or what is best for the country . The media should verify what are facts and what are inuendoes. They should be held accountable for the information that is reported, and be held to verify information instead of going for sensationalism. Prominent individuals, celebrities, and ordinary individuals should not feel threatened by the media. The media is a special interest group of sorts, having their own special interest at heart, and should not be given a protection to hide behind. As rules and laws are made for the benifit of all citizens, media intergity should take on a new dimension. The media is caught between freedom and responsibility, with government taking a stand on issues regarding individual rights to privacy and national security, it gives the media their First Amendment right but also ensures each citizen their rights. English Essays