Media Analysis - Appropriate News Reporting and Inappropriate Reporting - Essay Example

Media Analysis In the early days of media, news was just news and the only two media were radio and newspaper. Then, it was categorized into two kinds of news; local and foreign news while TV came into the picture. Now, news is of various kinds; hyperlocal, regional, state-level and international while the media outlets include internet, radio, newspapers and TV. This is because of the rapid progression in communications technology through the end of 20th century and the start of the 21st. and it is this progression that has given birth to numerous questions about the essence, nature, and repercussions of media actions. Hence, this essay discusses the basic definition of news and the media outlets. Also, most importantly, the essay analyzes if media are subjective or objective, in context with the kind of news. In today’s world, even the remotest places in the world are connected with the fast and urban metropolises around the planet, all because of media. The media have spread their reach so much in so less time that studying media studies as an academic subject has probably become quite a relevant topic of discussion. Regardless of this argument, one thing is for sure; the media exercise tremendous influence and power on our daily lives. And this influence keeps increasing as time passes by. In this essay, the primary focus will be on media’s objectivity during representation. The following analysis will try to shed light on various aspects of media in order to determine whether media is bent more towards neutrality or subjectivity. Under the limelight will be two of the renowned Television shows from CNN and FOX news. The two shows are, namely, Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN and previously-aired Glenn Beck on FOX news. Besides this comparison, this writing will seek to explore how media affect us and if the fashion of the so-called ‘freedom of speech’ really a viable tool or not. Let us try to dig deep and study what media’s core function is. By definition, media are the main channels through which information is transmitted from the sender to the receiver (BUSINESS DICTIONARY n.d.). Media’s prime functions remain unchanged; however, the deliverance is where numerous questions arise. The people sitting there who transmit the information, somehow inevitably, embed their opinions while delivering. For this very reason it is imperative to comprehend the extent to which media can influence our thinking on an individual level and collectively as well. So, taking news into account, one has to realize that it is highly likely that the news that we watch on our television screens, and the news that we hear on radio, and what we read in the newspapers and websites is more or less biased. Hence, the trust that news sources deserve could only reach up to a level; beyond that level, trust is impossible because of the existence of elements of bias and inaccuracy. Further, another topic of discussion is deciding what qualifies as news. In this age of cut-throat inter-channel/inter-station competition, most often, supremacy boils down to sensationalism and TV ratings. As a result, sometimes, some irrelevant news regarding, for instance, a rural festival is aired on the channel as a ‘fill-in’. Of course news such as, a natural disaster, or a political event certainly qualify as news; however, news about a rural festival, usually, does not. It is a matter of fact, indeed, that irrelevant news is also the result of mass globalisation whereby since the world is a global village, standardised processes for mass targeting makes it difficult for firms and industries to differentiate and completely ensure localised services all the time, especially when it comes to media services. Moreover, at one point in time, there could be millions of events happening in different parts of the world, but the state of dilemma i.e. what to report and what not to report can only be eased by aligning the nature of news with the target audience, and judging whether the news in subject is relevant or not to the listener/viewer/reader. An effective way of studying media actions and reaction is by analyzing a real-life example of the two same-natured shows. When we take the two shows into account, Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN and previously-aired Glenn Beck on FOX news, we see that they stand poles apart and, thus, best programs for a comparison study. Most CNN programs, including Anderson Cooper’s represent issues in a relatively more neutral form. CNN’s depiction of news seems closer to objectivity than that of FOX’s. In contrast, CNN displays an agenda of balanced journalism, non-tabloid nature, however, sometimes left-winged. On the other hand, FOX news portrays a pro-republican agenda, often instilled with yellow journalism, especially in the case of Obama’s presidency. FOX’s right-winged bias becomes obvious every now and then; one of the events that support this claim is about the issue concerning Obama’s trip to India in 2010. A report leaked and it said that the cost of Obama’s trip was $2 billion for a large staff and almost 40 airplanes are employed for his safety (MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA, 2010). Glenn beck, from FOX, criticised this issue against Obama and called it a ‘lavish’ trip while notching up the cost to $2 billion, whereas most sources said it was $200 million. On the flipside, Anderson Cooper tried to rectify the over-blown issue and called it "a made up story about the President of the United States" (MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA, 2010). This instance is among many that clearly show how media can be biased by propaganda and a pre-set agenda. The issue regarding Obama’s cost of India’s visit was ultimately buried under the carpet as time passed. Along with instances like these, it seems as though media agencies are constantly in the effort to defame their targets and serving an agenda. Importantly though, the question arises that why do media agencies have to have targets in the first place? This is a question that could be answered through simple reasons; political affiliation and political party-backing. The elite who sit in government chairs and run the ‘show’ know how important media are in order to shift the public opinion for or against someone. They understand the enormous potent of media that contains within. This power becomes all the more relevant for use when the system of government is capitalism whereby public opinion mattes the most in order to determine electoral success or failure. Even in the early 20th century, media propaganda started becoming an important part of a wide-scale movement, posters and banners were used pro-Nazi workers to manoeuvre public opinion in favour of the Nazi movement. Through the course of the 20th century, the significance of media kept increasing year by year. Media have often been the subject of scrutiny by scholars through the passage of time. Intellectuals like John Fiske have criticized media for its biased representation of information. He says that the media possess codes of television, which include levels, namely, reality (of appearance and dress), representation (by camera and lighting), and ideology (patriarchy, race, capitalism). These levels dictate and govern how an image is presented through media. Hence, the ‘encoded reality’ of television is pre-determined and controlled by altering the levels in the codes of television (FISKE, 2011). Moreover, scholars like Theodor W. Adorno studied the effects of media on the general population and explained collective behaviours of mass population in relation with the media actions. He coined the term ‘Culture Industry’ and used it to explain how ‘popular art’ develops and becomes a common culture as a result of mass media works. This creates a culture industry where capitalism and glamour creates endless wants and re-labels them as needs. He theorized that the creation of artificial needs disrupts the societal balance of consumption and triggers a spree of irrational economic boom. In Adorno’s own words, “The power of the culture industry’s ideology is such that conformity has replaced consciousnesses”. Of course, when actions are taken illogically and irrationally, malfunction is inevitable and the system is bound to collapse, especially when the scale of problem is tremendous and it encompasses the worldwide general population. Subsequently, the intensity of malfunction only becomes greater and the consequences more grave. These two well-renowned scholars have one thing in common i.e. they shed light on the vital negative effects of how media work in today’s world. Needless to say, media have positive points too, but, the negative effects stand right in front of our faces. A human that grows up in this world now is conditioned to the ‘culture industry’; the shackles of it are omnipresent, to the extent that it is more convenient to join in the bandwagon of consumerism rather than working towards intellectualism and rationalism. Indeed, this is a sad scenario. However, one must question: can media ever be unbiased? The answer to this question seems clear upon some rational thinking. In simple words, as soon as the camera lens points at one direction, it is ignoring all other environmental factors associated with the point-of-focus. And as soon as that happens, the camera eye, media, is generalizing and choosing to show only a selected field of vision. On the other hand, reporting a factual account of an event is probably one of the few instances where bias is zero. But, it is more often to have a situation where the nature of news is not factual, but rather, intuitive and sensitive to opinion-formation. In that case, it is inevitable that the news piece contains bias – since every aspect of representation is controlled, from the light work, audio, wardrobe, tone, expression, visuals, body language and choice of words, the message that transcends is a work of controlled variables, thus, the bias almost always exists in the system. Personally speaking, shows on politics, either on TV or radio always show their biased side to me. Surfing through TV channels, I always find either right-winged or left-winged shows being aired and it seems to me that these agenda-setting channels have the agenda ranked above accurate information dissemination in their list of preference. I hold strong beliefs against the biased nature of the media today. I think opinion-makers, often, fail to understand the scale of their influence and they, sometimes, induce negative opinions based upon weak judgement and analysis. Journalists who comment directly on television, radio, and newspapers must understand that their ideas are often not processed properly. The general population has a tendency of absorbing whatever is told, with little reasoning or rationale. Journalists must realize the repercussions of this phenomenon and cease to drift off to the skewed approach of reporting; subjectivity should always be restricted in news broadcasting and journalism. The delicate nature of the action-and-effect does not allow, in principle, for the personalities on mainstream media to express their opinions regarding political issues where there is no room whatsoever. It is the job of the guest, and not the host, to speak his/her mind. After the above discussion, it is rather safe to assume that there is a fine line between appropriate news reporting and inappropriate reporting. However, the difference between the impacts of the two approaches is huge. On the most rational level of thinking, whatever situation media are, in today’s world, cannot be halted or influenced, it is too idealistic a thought and too many factors are on stake. However, there is one thing that could be done i.e. each individual develops and utilizes his/her own critical thinking to independently analyze whatever is seen and told. Now, I agree that this is also an ideal situation where the proposition is that everyone becomes rational, but, nevertheless, at the very heart of most issues concerning our society and environment, improving ourselves is sometimes a wiser and easier choice than trying to change the system. Bibliography 1. Media, accessed 27 January 2012, 2. Fox News – Yellow Journalism At Its Finest 2007, accessed 27 January 2012, 3. Right-wing media launch bogus attacks on Obamas India trip 2010, accessed 28 January 2012, 4. FISKE, J. (2011). The Codes of Television. In: Television culture. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. 222. 5. ADORNO, T. W., & BERNSTEIN, J. M. (2001). Culture Industry Reconsidered. In: The culture industry: selected essays on mass culture. London: Routledge. 31. Read More