Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Kendall and Media
I agree with Kednall's assertion that "the media do not simply mirror society rather, they help to shape it and to create cultural perceptions". Fox News, for example, can tell us that just 30% of America supports Barack Obama and people will believe it. News, especially statistics, can me manipulated, or even made up, in such a way that the media can broadcast almost any message they want. There are plenty of ways to combat this misinformation such as fact check websites, observing other media sources, and being able to recognize outright lies. The majority of America, for whatever reason, does not have the ability to do so, however. Reasons for this include time, laziness, lack of education, carelessness, and bias. Therefore, I believe that the media can distort our perception of social inequality and I agree that watching TV inclines Americans to run up credit card debt. . Upon reflection, the media has the power to do almost anything it wants. While some people are smart enough to recognize abuses when they see it, others are not. The media therefore has a huge responsibility to present the truth.
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2 comments:
Josh,
I agree with you completely! Your statement about the media is accurate. All of the major news networks influence our decisions and political views. It is sad because we are not getting the information for ourselves, we are getting through a biased source, which is why the information we receive isn't always accurate. I also agree with you that the majority of Americans are unable to recognize outright lies. However, because the media is so influencing on our society we can't always differentiate between what is the truth and what is a lie. You state that, "the media therefore has a huge responsibility to present the truth." Of course they do, but will they? CNN will tell people that Obama has the highest ratings, and their viewers will believe it, and Fox News will say the opposite and their viewers will believe that. The media has a target audience, and they will do everything to persuade them. Great Post!
stfu he gave us the answer to our hw so dnt complain
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