Mass media today has the power to sway public opinion on various issues ranging from Global Warming, Political elections, and trials. While watching television this morning before going to work, i caught the end of a broadcast on CourtTV about the San Francisco Mauling on January 26, 2001. At the end of the trial both the husband and wife were found guilty of manslaughter, but the wife who was at the scene of the mauling was found guilty of second degree murder. After an appeal, the judge recinded the second degree murder charge due to lack of evidence to support the charge. He was said that although she was guilty in the eyes of the city, she was not guilty in the eyes of the law. He recongized the power of media to enrage an entire city and to even use that power to convict a woman of murder, even if she was infact not guilty. With today's mass media, there is a greater chance for mob rule. Heated issues that arise become headline news playing on people's values and sensitivites to envoke an emotion.
Taken from http://www.passia.org/seminars/99/media_and_communication/rami2.html
Our world today is increasingly driven by a combination of information and
entertainment values, and these are both promoted by the explosion of
different means of communication, especially electronic communication such
as satellite TV and Internet. This means the market for information is
extremely competitive and is characterized by the
following:
1. Overload on the audience: Most people today, even in many developing countries, have access
to scores of information sources in their homes and offices, including
television, radio, internet and others. The audience is over-loaded with
options, so if you want to catch someone's attention via the mass media you
have to produce quality material that is deemed appropriate to use by
journalists and deemed worth reading or viewing by the
audience.
2. Overload on the mass media: Most journalists are flooded with sources of information, press
releases, story ideas and requests for coverage. This means that if you want to
attract a journalist's or editor's attention and get coverage in their
publication or on their channel, you have to produce quality information and PR
materials that are credible and that catch the press's
attention.
3. Overload on funders and advertisers: Those people who pay money to the mass media or to
non-governmental organizations - advertisers and funders - are also flooded with
more requests than they can meet. So it is critically important for NGOs today
to produce high quality work if they wish to attract funds from donors or
support from companies that have the option to spend their money on direct
advertising and promotion.
Using this power, Mass media has an outlet to pour whatever drivel into our homes that will grant the greatest money to both themselves and advertisers. A perfect example of this is a new show coming out on MTV called Scarred. http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/scarred/series.jhtml#/ontv/dyn/scarred/summary.jhtml
This show is a graphic look at self-inflicted injuries due to extreme sports and the stories that surround them. Their website is quoted, " This show is almost too painful to watch!" Shows like this will draw shock value attention to grab advertising money.
I am not arguing that we need to place restrictions on what can or should be allowed on television, I am arguing that we as a society should be aware of the power of the media and not be slaves to it.
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1 comment:
"we as a society should be aware of the power of the media and not be slaves to it"
And there it is, the idea of educated individuals with enough sense to determine for themselves what they think is true, what they think is important.
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