2008 Woodie Awards
Is media bias healthy or unhealthy to society?
Jennifer Harris
Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Opinion
In one of my classes, my teacher asked how many of us had heard reports in the past month about the horrors occurring in Darfur. Not a hand was raised in the approximately 50-person crowd.
She then asked how many heard reports on Britney Spears. Of course most of us answered in the affirmative.
She was attempting to impress upon us the power that the media has over what we see, hear and think about. It is called gatekeeping, and it's something I was never really conscious of until now.
I consider myself decently news savvy. I try to stay abreast of current events by watching and reading the news. I try to pull from a broad spectrum of sources. Whether listening to reports from the conservative Fox News or the more liberal MSNBC, I try to form my own opinions about the reports I see. However, the media still plays a major role in what subjects I form my opinions on.
A good example is the death of Anna Nicole Smith and the paternity of her child. Whether you cared about it or not, you were inundated with coverage on every news station. It is difficult to fault media outlets for spending so much time on stories that shouldn't be "breaking news," such as the eccentric lives of celebrities.
People are enamored with them, and it brings in viewers. It is difficult to know if fascination with these insignificant stories developed because the media wanted to give the public the stories they sought or if people were merely responding to what they were shown in the news.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I am certainly not trying to say that the media is not an incredibly important tool in society. They inform us on issues that we need to be aware of and, if factual, are a good basis on which to form your stance. Gas prices, the economy, the race for the presidency -- all are very key topics in the country today, but they are the primary ones we focus on because we hear about them night after night on the evening news.
There are so many topics of concern going on in the world today that it would be impossible to keep up with every aspect of all of them.
That being said, I think sometimes we forget about major problems simply because we do not see them. Out of sight, out of mind. It is very important to keep up with current events, and the media plays a key role in that, but we should remember that just because certain issues are not well publicized doesn't mean they don't exist.
With all of the information provided to us through technology, we can find information about different issues. You just might have to look further than the nightly news.
She then asked how many heard reports on Britney Spears. Of course most of us answered in the affirmative.
She was attempting to impress upon us the power that the media has over what we see, hear and think about. It is called gatekeeping, and it's something I was never really conscious of until now.
I consider myself decently news savvy. I try to stay abreast of current events by watching and reading the news. I try to pull from a broad spectrum of sources. Whether listening to reports from the conservative Fox News or the more liberal MSNBC, I try to form my own opinions about the reports I see. However, the media still plays a major role in what subjects I form my opinions on.
A good example is the death of Anna Nicole Smith and the paternity of her child. Whether you cared about it or not, you were inundated with coverage on every news station. It is difficult to fault media outlets for spending so much time on stories that shouldn't be "breaking news," such as the eccentric lives of celebrities.
People are enamored with them, and it brings in viewers. It is difficult to know if fascination with these insignificant stories developed because the media wanted to give the public the stories they sought or if people were merely responding to what they were shown in the news.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I am certainly not trying to say that the media is not an incredibly important tool in society. They inform us on issues that we need to be aware of and, if factual, are a good basis on which to form your stance. Gas prices, the economy, the race for the presidency -- all are very key topics in the country today, but they are the primary ones we focus on because we hear about them night after night on the evening news.
There are so many topics of concern going on in the world today that it would be impossible to keep up with every aspect of all of them.
That being said, I think sometimes we forget about major problems simply because we do not see them. Out of sight, out of mind. It is very important to keep up with current events, and the media plays a key role in that, but we should remember that just because certain issues are not well publicized doesn't mean they don't exist.
With all of the information provided to us through technology, we can find information about different issues. You just might have to look further than the nightly news.
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