Manipulation of the News Reported by Media - Essay Example

Ethics and Media The media is an important aspect of the society based on its ability informs the people about events happening around them and in this case influencing people’s choices based on the quality of reporting. Due to the level of influence that the media has over the population, there is a need for the media to be ethical in the manner information is packaged and delivered. Media ethics is concerned with a number of aspects through which the media exerts its influence on the people by choosing the way information is packaged and delivered. This paper will focus on manipulation of the news reported by media in order to determine the relationship exiting between media, governments, corporations and the masses targeted by the information all being influenced by the vested interests held by these groups. During the process of news preparation, media agencies must put into considerations their interests in relation to that of the government, corporations and the people targeted by the information. An analysis of the media will place it on two trajectories based on the facts that the media is firstly corporations in themselves as supported by Chomsky who notes the “media are major corporations” (Chomsky 25). Consequently, the media has to make profits for them to satisfy their shareholders. This can only be achieved through presentation of information that attracts both the audience and the advertisers whose finances are central to the operations. Secondly, media are contracted by other corporations for advertisement reasons as a way of influencing the choice of consumers to prefer their products. Chomsky asserts the media just like any other corporation are motivated by the selling of products to their markets where Chomsky point out that “the product is audiences and the market is other businesses (advertisers)” (Chomsky 25). For that matter the media has to package information to suit the needs of the buyers and sellers in order to remain relevant in the society it operates. Given that the media are corporation and the corporations have a closer link with the government, it becomes easy for interests of the two to be aligned in such a way that there are no frictions between the state and media with Chomsky claiming “the linkage of the corporate sector and the state is so close that convergence of interests on major issues is the norm” (Chomsky 25). Given the close link between the media and the state, it becomes easy for them to pursue the interests of the government as opposed to matters affecting the people the government can easily manipulate news content to reflect what they wish the population to believe. In this case, the media becomes a political tool that works for the benefit of those in power instead of being a watchdog for the citizens. Bagdikian notes such a situation has given rise to the reality where the media as part of the corporations operating within the state engage in politics to “protect their expanded power and treasure” (17). Chomsky perceives the influence of the media over state affairs as being a product of the 19th century rise of major corporations. These corporations according to the author have been supported by “legal structures devised to grant them dominance over private and public life” (Chomsky, “Force and Opinion”). Throughout the years, the media has been transforming and grown based on their symbiotic relationship with other major corporations and the state with Bagdikian arguing “the larger the media corporation, the greater its political influence, which produces a still larger media corporation with still greater political power” (Bagdikian 17). This growth over centuries have led to an “elite” club of media that has influence over significant aspects of state as they control information as they are able to set the agenda for everyone to focus their attention towards. According to Chomsky, these media which include examples such as The New York Times and CBS are very profitable corporations with most of them being owned by or linked to even bigger corporations. This connection creates a bureaucratic institution that functions based on predetermined policies which follows strict procedures. Chomsky asserts these create a “tyrannical structure” where everything is controlled from above (Chomsky, “What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream”). The consequence of this tyrannical structure of the media is that it stifles any possibility for divergent views that do not represent the views of those at the top. Basically, this means that individuals working within the organization do not have a say in the items that are going to be released to the audience especially when such views will likely result in damages to the interests held by the media. Chomsky therefore notes that the mantra for these corporations is “If you don’t like what they are doing you get out (Chomsky, “What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream”) Given this growth in media influence, the interests of the citizens are at risk of being neglected as the media control information people will receive. The interests of the audience have become second to those of the state and other corporations who have significant contributions to the daily activities of the media. Chomsky agrees that the media as a corporation has to sale their products but also notes “the product is audiences” (Chomsky, “What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream”). It should be expected that the product should be the paper where New York Times is concerned while the audience are the clients who buy the papers. However, this is not the case based on the argument by Chomsky who writes “They don’t make money when you buy the newspaper” in reference to the buyers of the papers. To the contrary, the author argues that the paper losses money since they can post their contents on the worldwide web for free. Therefore, Chomsky views the advertisers as being the market for the media and in this case, “Corporations sell audiences to other corporations” (Chomsky, “What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream”). Even as the government might appear to be moderating between the interests of the media and those of the corporations to ensure citizens’ interests are also considered, there are challenges that make such attempt to be futile. Chomsky note that such efforts by the government might not work since “control over investment, production, commerce, finance, conditions of work, and other crucial aspects of social policy lies in private hands”. This makes it difficult for policies that will truly benefit the people to be realized due to the roundtable concessions that the government has to adopt to satisfy the interests held by these corporations. Given the influence held by the corporations and to that effect the media, it becomes easier for people with divergent views to accept the status quo as “unwillingness to adapt to this structure of authority and domination carries costs, ranging from state force to the costs of privation and struggle; even an individual of independent mind can hardly fail to compare these to the benefits, however meager, that accrue to submission” (Chomsky, “Force and Opinion”). Since the audience is the products, the media will have to face issues of ethical concerns that relates to the market which relates to the corporations. Attraction and maintenance of advertisements from the corporations will in effect take a central position when making decisions over issues concerning contradictions in the interests of the audiences and the corporations. This is because the media will find it is easy to pass deceptive information from the corporations to the audience than face the risk of losing out on finances generated from the advertisement of products from the corporations. Chomsky notes the people are aware of these machinations that have made it impossible for their interests to be reflected in important matters affecting the country. The author asserts that “In the early years of Project Censored, about half the population felt that the government is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves”. The feelings of pessimism have continued to be reflected in subsequent polls as the public continue to feel powerless (Chomsky 25). This paper has highlighted the levels of manipulation of information by the media based on the need to protect vested interests held by the government, corporations and the people. Available literature indicates the power held by corporations over what is reported in the media. The influence of these corporations is based on the fact that the media view them as the market while the audiences are products sold to the corporations by the media. The government will find it difficult to protect the interests of the masses since they are also controlled by the corporations that control major economic sectors of the state. Consequently, the tyrannical nature of the media as part of the corporations will always prevail with those having opinion which goes against the interests pursued by the media corporations are forced to drop out of their organizations as they cannot be allowed to express their views. In conclusion the close connection between the media, corporations and the state raises the issue of objectivity in the items released to the people since. It becomes easy for the media to sway public perceptions to be in favor of the interests of corporations even it is to the detriment of the public. Works Cited Bagdikian, Ben. The New Media Monopoly. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2004. Print. Chomsky, Noam. Introduction: Project Censored 25th Anniversary. In Peter Phillips (ed.), Project Censored 2001. New York, NY: Seven Stories Press, 2001. Print. Chomsky, Noam. Force and Opinion. Z Magazine, July-August, 1991. Web. 25 June 2014 Chomsky, Noam. What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream. Z Magazine, October, 1997. Web. 25 June 2014 Read More