News Is What Keeps This World Well-Knitted - Essay Example

News: A Discussion As opposed to primitive times when the society was bound to those people and places that are physically connected, today the worldis itself an enormous society; where no place is unreachable, no person uninvolved. Even the most backwards of places have the minimal amount of awareness that is News. Although most people around us consider news, in all its forms, trivial, but contrary to popular belief news is what keeps this world well knitted. Having said that, there is not one type or genre or news out there; the importance of each and its role, varies. Although there are innumerous ways of communicating, news is one of the initial tools of communication. Be it local news or international news, news regarding politics or entertainment, we would be virtually unaware if there had been no concept of news. The first ever newspaper published was in Rome in 59 B.C, after which started a series of newer and improved threads of newspapers as well as magazines emerging from different parts of the world. The primary role of news has been to assemble happenings from all over the world and compile it for the general public to benefit from. Without a doubt, not every person is interested or even concerned with things like states affairs or politics for example, hence news is generally termed ‘Boring’ and obsolete; we often hear the phrase ‘Who reads the news anymore?’. This is a clichéd dilemma that the current generation faces, neglecting the fact that news does not have to be dull and boring. Not to put all the blame on the readers, editors and journalists also play an essential part in making news either dull or worthwhile. The success of any news paper, news channel, editor, reporter, journalist and the likes depends on the variety of audience they can successfully target. Imagine living in a house but not knowing where the utensils are, or not knowing where your shampoo is, or not knowing where the food is? Similarly, living in a world and not knowing what is going on and about around you is absurd. How do you find out which new car you should buy? Through the advertisements, it is news. How do you find out which holiday resort to visit and in which season? It is through news. How do you determine what the weather is going to be like in 10 days? It is through news. Countries often face hardships and crises, to remain oblivious through all of that is not an option, in such a scenario it is the news that keeps us up to date of the national situation, it is like our guardian, our life’s fire alarm. Consequently, sometimes it is needed to take ones find off of all the bitterness and seriousness that surrounds us. As such, we’re provided with the newest scandals of movies starts and pop stars, for those who enjoy it; news about who won the last football or lawn tennis match; what movies are playing in which cinema?; which famous person is marrying who?; what is happening in the life of the prince? And many other such exhilarating pieces of news. Everything has a flip side to it; news too, has a down side. Where awareness is the key to being prepared, too much awareness can sometimes cause anxiety and frustration. Media tends to exaggerate news, and to show only the dark side of the world. As more and more mediums of communicating news to the world are developed, the competition tightens and in order to be the ‘top dog’, every news medium is in the conquest to find more and more horrifying news and win the title. This causes disarray among the society, pertaining that ‘nothing can be done of this world’. Another flaw in the news system is the biasness. This biasness is said to be the ‘inherent law’ of the news production process, which often causes rifts, especially in the political world. While talking about news, one of the foremost channels that come to mind is BBC News. The abbreviation BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation. Originating in the United Kingdom and currently employing 3,500 people out of which 2,000 are journalists, BBC is one of the largest news channels in the world. Taking root in the 1950s, BBC has been providing authentic news and entertainment for over 6 decades. BBC is a well organized channel run according to a set of rules and policies that are set by official bodies, assisting them in staying on track with the goal which was originally set for the channel. According to BBC, the purpose of its existence is serving the public and informing them along with education and entertainment (Bbc.co.uk, 2014). Aside from moral policies, BBC has formed a Trust which is supposed to keep check on license fee revenue in the interest of the general public. As opposed to the biasness dilemma mentioned earlier in this writing, BBC makes it a point to come off completely transparent. As such, all the information regarding the working of this channel is available for viewing. These include program statements, expenses disclosures and salary disclosures, minutes of board meeting, complaints regarding fair trading as well as responses (BBC - Inside the BBC, 2014). The higher-ups themselves stay involved with the public in order to ensure the channels interest. Recently, Tony Hall, BBC Director-General, gave a speech at the Oxford Media Convention (Bbc.co.uk, 2014). Subsequently, a record of speeches made in the last 13 years is provided on the online website of BBC. Denis McQuail, a communication theorist, believes that media and society are both interconnected. He argues that freedom of media solely refers to the opinions and views regarding political aspects of life and none other. According to him, the new media system is making this system of monopoly obsolete, which is why this revolutionary change in the media system is vital for our society. Another concern shown by McQuail in his Mass Communication theory is that television is primarily seen as a source of entertainment and not one for information of provision of news. A general concern regarding news and media is media imperialism, which is the control of countries over their media. In general we observe nowadays that the influence of governments and political bodies is becoming more and more significant. Media and news is easily manipulated by authorities, which means not many of the things we see or hear are absolutely accurate. A fun aspect of newspapers is the part where the general public is invited to send in their material such as blogs, articles and the likes. This provides people with a platform to express themselves, to feel heard and recognized. Point being, as much as media and news are condemned in this age for spreading chaos, it has once been the most resourceful thing in our lives. Eliminating the aspect of media imperialism, biasness and exaggeration, news can once again be made the essential part of our lives as it once was. In order to accomplish this, new and hopefully more effective media structures and being given shape in order to eliminate the flaws we see in this system. The one thing most required in this filtration process is to form a critically objective approach towards all the information provided by media personnel. In this way, all of the flaws accounted for would be abolished. Another possible solution is the media ‘covering itself’. As mentioned in the policy of BBC news, it is very important for every source of news to keep a regulatory check on itself, its policies, its finances, its moral stand, its employees and to stick to the goal it was based upon. The thought behind the creation of any media source must be entirely serving the public, instead of gaining huge profits and competing with other channels and sources for credits. As it is often said, quality is what should be considered over quantity. The amount of breaking news and its speed is not what should matter, but the content, its authenticity and its benefits to the viewers. There is a strict need for the accountability of ownership of media and news sources, in order to create a non hostile, non biased positive media environment. Most important of them all, those who provide the news must be accounted for, which would ensure the provision of unprejudiced, impartial information. Innovations and creativity in the field of news and media is always welcomed. The future of news is still in the forming, as digital news becomes the latest buzz. New business models for news are being established gathering the best resources with a variety of topics synonymous to running websites. These models will help locals advertise as well as invest in the news industry, providing benefit and also gaining it along the way. References BBC - Inside the BBC, (2014). Accountability. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/accountability/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Bbc.co.uk, (2014). BBC - BBC Trust - BBC Trust. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Bellis, M. (2014). Timeline of the Newspaper Industry. [online] About.com Inventors. Available at: http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/printing_4.htm [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Clearlyexplained.com, (2014). Importance of news | ClearlyExplained.Com. [online] Available at: http://clearlyexplained.com/culture/news/importance-of-news.html [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Fuldafreepress.com, (2014). The role of newspaper in the modern society. [online] Available at: http://www.fuldafreepress.com/the-role-of-newspaper-in-the-modern-society/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Hauck, P. (2014). News Innovation. [online] Newsinnovation.com. Available at: http://www.newsinnovation.com/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014]. Read More