Media is Misleading - Coursework Example

Media is Misleading Introduction Over the years, the media as an information tool has turned into an avenue that provides misleading information to the public by forcing the information that they gather to be truthful without providing adequate facts. Ideally, this trend is applicable to all media tools such as books, news, advertisement, television shows and also to famous people within the entertainment and political circles, a trend that has been of concern to many. In recent weeks, the media has been feeding the public with misleading information regarding the Malaysian Airlines plane that has been missing for more than four weeks in which they have heightened speculations over what could have happened to the plane and the passengers on board. In many cases, the media tend to run away with the first information that they gather concerning an event without being keen on finding all the facts before issuing the news to the public. Other than this, television commercials have also become items of falsehood in which advertisements use popular individuals to boost sales despite the fact that they may not be morally influential to young people. With this, this essay will seek to establish why the media is misleading to the public, especially on matters that are highly sensitive. Wrong news on the missing Malaysian Airline plane by the media Since the disappearance of flight MH370 in early March, the media has given a lot of information in which some of it has been valid while most of them has just been about the fruitless efforts that the search teams have yielded. Essentially, information becomes misleading when its flow becomes overwhelming to the recipients or audiences because too much of it tends to create confusion (Willet 44). In the case of the missing airline, the media has been issuing information the minute it gets to their desks including those of the spotted objects on water speculated to be the plane. However, this has made it harder for the families of those that were on board that ill-fated flight to China as this tends to give them false hopes as much as the odds appear to be against the chances of finding any survivors. Initially, the information on the missing plane began as a possible terror move, but this information became inapplicable because no terrorist group claimed responsibilities. The media briefings that the airline and the Malaysian government have been holding have not been effective in quelling the concerns of the public as it has raised more questions than answers. As part of good and ethical practice, the media should not be quick to give out information that does not have conclusive facts to back it up meaning that it makes the information delivery process to be distorted (Ladd 167). As much as it is the media’s duty to supply the public with adequate information in order to ensure that there is transparency, but most of the time they tend to spread propaganda. The media seems to have hijacked this tragic story to be one that is of benefit to them because they give information without factoring in the emotions of those affected by the tragedy (Tan 247). Raising false hopes does not in any way help the families of those that were on board the MH370 to cope with their loss and makes it hard for them to attain closure. As per the article by BBC News Asia, the media coverage has also influenced a rift between the families of those on the missing plane and government agencies because of the conflicting information that they have been giving. In essence, the media can be a destructive tool if used in an ill-motive manner because it can highlight the shortcomings of organizations that may otherwise make others feel short changed. Most of the information given regarding the possible account of the missing plane has been speculative because no media tool has been able to gather any concrete evidence over the same. Ideally, the media’s agenda tends to be that of pushing an agenda and this does not necessarily mean that their intention is to communicate the truth hence having to provide misleading information in the process in order for them to achieve their agenda. In this case, many of the media tools covering an event or documenting the same do so in a manner that suggests that their intention is for the public to buy into what they believe happened concerning an event. For instance, most of the media houses have been using dramatization aspects to try and establish the last moments of the missing plane in which many of the global population have believed that this is a possible representation of the actual events preceding the unfortunate incident. Falsehood in advertising Other than manipulating information, the media, especially television has also been able to use its influence in order to reach the masses through advertising because a majority of the population have access to them. With this, advertising agencies have made use of celebrities to sell their products because of their ability to persuade the masses despite the fact that most of them do not support the ideals upheld by society meaning that their interests does not concern the well being of the population (Kazmi & Satish 111). Most of the target population that advertisements focus on using celebrities is the adolescent as they consider these individuals to be opinion shapers and that them endorsing certain products makes them valid (Smith 320). Essentially, the media tends to influence and shape public opinion and this makes it to be the most affordable way of accessing information. One of the key advantages that the media has over its audience is that those targeted by the information do not conduct proper research on these celebrities to see whether they present desirable moral ideals. Therefore, the media tends to represent a bias in which they only relay the information that they want the public to know without considering the history of those that apply to brand their products. One of the celebrities that has attracted controversy in his life is Justin Bieber in which in his most recent scandals he was arrested, but this did not spur any hate among his teenage fans. According to Tierney the charge that led to his arrest was that he was racing his Lamborghini while intoxicated with drugs and alcohol making him not to be a suitable personality for any advertisements. Despite this irresponsible behavior and a pending trial, Justin Bieber continues to receive advertisement contracts with the latest one being from Calvin Klein Underwear. Ideally, the face of advertising should be that of individuals that can be positive influences of the society and not of those that advocate for wrong doing as this is likely to influence a culture of rebellion among teenagers. With this, advertising companies have misled the public through celebrities instead of rebuking them for the wrong that they may commit against societal norms. In conclusion, the media has failed in many areas in its role as the informer of the truth and safeguarding the interest of society in terms of positive moral influence. The media has changed to being that influences its own agenda rather than informing the public while also being keen not to harm people in the process. The coverage given to the Malaysian airline that went missing in early March has brought confusion rather than answers for the families of those that were on board. On other hand, the media has also made use of celebrities involved in irresponsible behaviors to promote their products taking advantage of the huge fan bases that they hold. In the end, the media has been misleading in terms of information provision and in idealizing celebrities that are offenders to the young, which is an inappropriate practice that should not be condoned. Works Cited BBC News Asia. Malaysia flight MH370: Chinese families vent anger, 31 March. 2014. Web. 3 April 2014. Kazmi, S H. H, and Satish K. Batra. Advertising & Sales Promotion. New Delhi: Excel Books, 2008. Print. Ladd, Jonathan M. Why Americans Hate the Media and How it Matters. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print. Smith, Ronald D. Becoming a Public Relations Writer: A Writing for Emerging and Established Media. London: Routledge, 2012. Print. Tan, Honghua. Technology for Education and Learning. New York: Springer, 2012. Print. Willet, Amanda. Media Production: A Practical Guide to Radio & TV. London: Routledge, 2013. Print. Read More