Mystification in the Media from Ritual Murder to the War on Terrorism - Article Example

A critical review of “Mystification in the media from ‘ritual murder’ to the “war on terrorism’ by John Theobald Using two seemingly unrelated events that occurred at the turn of different centuries, John Theobald examines the role of the media in obscuring information and divisive nature rather than its supposedly role in illuminating and uniting the society. The essay illustrates the failure of modern media to play its role as an informative tool and instead it is being used as propaganda machinery. It does this by using the ‘the ritual murder case’ of Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century and the ‘war on terrorism” at the beginning of this century. John Theobald decries the contribution the media has made in turning events into demonization exercises and perpetuating prejudice and bigotry. Though the author effectively uses the two events to show how the media actively participated in the distortion of what occurred to achieve the objectives of vested interests, it disregards commendable contributions that it has made. However, John Theobald still raises compelling reasons for a thorough analysis of the role of the media, and the mechanisms that can be used to ensure the media does not become a lethal tool in disinformation and destabilization. The author concludes by acknowledging that he might be dismissed as conspiracy theorist, but contends the two examples should be taken as sample and a critical examination of larger circumstantial evidence needs to be undertaken to verify the validity of the allegations. Only then can a case be made for an alternative to the current structures be made. Theobald’s work is a timely contribution to the current argument on the role of the media in the fast changing modern communication landscape. The media has become an indispensable tool in today’s world. This is because it exerts an overwhelming influence on the activities, opinions, character of the world (Lechner, 2009). The two examples used by the author to illustrate how the media was and continues to be turned and used as a tool and mouth piece of vested interests is not be exhaustive. The author himself acknowledges this. A further analysis of many other cases needs to be undertaken to convince sceptics. A blanket condemnation of the media is also not warranted as the media has participated in eradication of some aspect of bigotry; the ku klux klan comes to mind. Though the aim of the author was to prove the corruption of the media into compromising its ideals, for balanced argument sake, the author should have at least mention the benefits that have been brought by the media. Failure to do this, presents the author as only bent on discrediting the liberal media. In defence of the media, it has to be said that there are other factors that engender nationalism, bigotry, prejudice, and conflicts. The language of the essay is disdainful and contemptuous of the liberal press to the point that the author can be accused of inherent prejudice against the media. However, these few reservations do not in anyway deflect attention from the conclusive manner in which the author has illustrated using the examples how the liberal press has been twisted to serve the interests of ideologues that have nothing to do with the events being reported. In fact using the ‘supposedly independent BBC’ in the words of the author, he exhaustively describes how the panorama program was distorted to support a certain point of view and thus abdicate its claim of impartiality (Briggs & Burke, 2005). The choice of two examples must be commended as they capture the essence of the rot that the author wants to expose. However, the work is well argued and the conclusions backed by evidence advanced to back the arguments. The critics of the essay will be hard pressed to counter or discredit the issues raised by Theobald. In conclusion, though it might be said that two examples are far from conclusive to derive any meaningful validity of the author’s assertions, they should be taken in tandem with a thorough analysis of bigger body of evidence to determine the veracity of his claims. Nevertheless, the essay should not be dismissed as the work of someone bent on crying wolf. This is because the author has shown, through the effective use of the two examples, that there is need for concern. A critical analysis of News Communication for a New Global System by William A. Hachten, James F. Scotton According to Hachten & Scotton (2006), globalization has been parented by deregulation in the telecommunication structures and computerization. The technologies inborn in these two aspects of globalization entail satellite, computers, and digitalization. These three facets have led to the integration of different cultures of the world, leading to the sharing of a common global culture. Ryan (2004) notes that when different cultures meet, they assimilate into one culture, such as happens with the Indian Bhangra pop, which infuses Jamaican type reggae and Indian beats. However, notwithstanding the positive effects of globalization, the global market media has been criticized due to centralization the power of media and intense commercialization, which subsides the content of information of the news media with regard to issues public affairs of concern to a nation, in favour of entertainment profits. According to the authors, global cooperation is vital for effectual globalization. The authors argue that, due to advancement in contemporary technologies, globalization has palpably enriched numerous aspects of peoples' lives, including weather preparedness, eloquent flow of rich information regarding the world and the universe as a whole. Consequently, countries such as China, India and other Asian nations have considerably prospered. With globalization, the worldwide concerns about environmentalism and global population have been illuminated, especially with the complex photography that revealed the fragility of the earth, consequently underscoring the need for awareness on global interdependence. Globalization and the awareness of its imparts forces today's world to deal with the pressing and complex interrelated problems of nuclear threat, biosphere pollution, poverty, famine, the widening gap between the poor and the rich, population explosion, terrorism, food shortage. Lechner (2009) argues that these and other crises are global in scale, and forming a workable solution to them entails concern and cooperation by all countries globally. As such, there must be information flow among the nations with regard to these challenges, since no single nation can successfully deal with these effects. By creating awareness on these issues, the news media will cultivate a global general agreement about the nature of these problems. Additionally, the author emphasizes on the need for literacy, especially in the African continent, as it is the key for modernization, education, and use of computers and mass media. The authors also stress the importance of foreign news, since, much of the information that people need for their private lives emanates from the news media. Without the flow of dependable news and information, the society, government and overall economy would have difficulty functioning. I agree with the author that serious journalists and editors must highly esteem the need to capably and thoroughly report important information from overseas. This is vital, since events beyond the borders of a nation have the ability to directly affect and even negatively impact people's lives, for instance, the Cold War and the rise of Stalin and Hitler. In a liberal society, it is imperative that the public be sentient of what is happening abroad, to efficiently weigh their government's reaction to challenges from overseas. The record of autonomous journalism establishes that the most excellent and accountable news media have always accorded high precedence to foreign news, and this fact still holds today. Therefore, it is true that the media, in favour of celebrity lifestyles and the self-help, have disregarded serious foreign news and advice related news. The authors assert that in a recent survey conducted on the public, their preferred news content was local news about events and people, health news and crime, with global news coming last, after sports, political, local government, and science news. Content was especially lacking in the younger generation. The shortcomings in global reporting are clearly perceptible. The authors rightly argue that the international society lacks effectual cooperative procedures, due to competition and lack of effective dedication to a common goal. They note that the main setback in solving these issues is due to individual nations acting according to their own requirements and concerns. In today's world, the technological facility for worldwide communication is evidently essential (Lechner, 2009). However, the global challenges require urgent resolve now, more than ever. Indeed, not many people realize the gravity of these situations, and not many are willing to cooperate with others to solve them. However, despite all the compelling strengths inherent in the authors' arguments, I disagree with some of the arguments. Firstly, the author asserts that many African countries are engaged in fighting, and lack functional governments. Conversely, most of the African states have functioning and cohesive governments, and the authors seem not to have extensively researched on the African state of affairs. There are very few cases of political instability in Africa, and the recent creation of a new African state of the Republic of Southern Sudan supports the fact of African political stability. Moreover, numerous institutions in the African continents, especially colleges and universities have undertaken to construct libraries with up to date technologies, and this includes uninterrupted internet connection, modern books, and improved coaching methods. Hence, it is safe to say that the literacy levels in the African continent have gone up, and more people have an access to education. Consequently, I advocate for more research on the part of the authors, to avoid misrepresenting the facts about the African states, especially with regard to literacy and government functionality. In conclusion, although some people argue that there is no perceptible fundamental change in the world, the powerful effects of digitalization, computerization, and satellite on the global flow of information is obvious. These aspects of global integration are transforming many economic ventures into successful global businesses. The positive effects of globalization are undeniable. Communication, especially the media, has been the chief aspect that has facilitated the current globalization. It is imperative for the government of every nation to emphasize on substantive news media content. The communication commissions in the all countries must put in place systems that relay informative news content, with regard to local and global issues. This will promote awareness on the issues needing immediate resolve on the public. With this awareness, the respective governments must cooperate and design efficient ways to redress these issues.  References Brinks J. H., Timms E. & Rock S. 2006 Nationalist Myths and Modern Media: contested identities in the age of globalization, London: I.B.Tauris Briggs, A. & Burke, P. 2005 A Social History of the Media: from Gutenberg to the Internet, Cambridge, UK: Polity Hachten, W. A. & Scotton J. F. 2006.World News Prism, The: Global Information In A Satellite Age, Wiley-Blackwell, New York. Lechner, F.J. 2009. Globalization: the making of the world society, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford Ryan, N. 2004. Into A World Of Hate: A Journey Among The Extreme Right, London: Routledge Read More

In conclusion, though it might be said that two examples are far from conclusive to derive any meaningful validity of the author’s assertions, they should be taken in tandem with a thorough analysis of bigger body of evidence to determine the veracity of his claims. Nevertheless, the essay should not be dismissed as the work of someone bent on crying wolf. This is because the author has shown, through the effective use of the two examples, that there is need for concern. A critical analysis of News Communication for a New Global System by William A.

Hachten, James F. Scotton According to Hachten & Scotton (2006), globalization has been parented by deregulation in the telecommunication structures and computerization. The technologies inborn in these two aspects of globalization entail satellite, computers, and digitalization. These three facets have led to the integration of different cultures of the world, leading to the sharing of a common global culture. Ryan (2004) notes that when different cultures meet, they assimilate into one culture, such as happens with the Indian Bhangra pop, which infuses Jamaican type reggae and Indian beats.

However, notwithstanding the positive effects of globalization, the global market media has been criticized due to centralization the power of media and intense commercialization, which subsides the content of information of the news media with regard to issues public affairs of concern to a nation, in favour of entertainment profits. According to the authors, global cooperation is vital for effectual globalization. The authors argue that, due to advancement in contemporary technologies, globalization has palpably enriched numerous aspects of peoples' lives, including weather preparedness, eloquent flow of rich information regarding the world and the universe as a whole.

Consequently, countries such as China, India and other Asian nations have considerably prospered. With globalization, the worldwide concerns about environmentalism and global population have been illuminated, especially with the complex photography that revealed the fragility of the earth, consequently underscoring the need for awareness on global interdependence. Globalization and the awareness of its imparts forces today's world to deal with the pressing and complex interrelated problems of nuclear threat, biosphere pollution, poverty, famine, the widening gap between the poor and the rich, population explosion, terrorism, food shortage.

Lechner (2009) argues that these and other crises are global in scale, and forming a workable solution to them entails concern and cooperation by all countries globally. As such, there must be information flow among the nations with regard to these challenges, since no single nation can successfully deal with these effects. By creating awareness on these issues, the news media will cultivate a global general agreement about the nature of these problems. Additionally, the author emphasizes on the need for literacy, especially in the African continent, as it is the key for modernization, education, and use of computers and mass media.

The authors also stress the importance of foreign news, since, much of the information that people need for their private lives emanates from the news media. Without the flow of dependable news and information, the society, government and overall economy would have difficulty functioning. I agree with the author that serious journalists and editors must highly esteem the need to capably and thoroughly report important information from overseas. This is vital, since events beyond the borders of a nation have the ability to directly affect and even negatively impact people's lives, for instance, the Cold War and the rise of Stalin and Hitler.

In a liberal society, it is imperative that the public be sentient of what is happening abroad, to efficiently weigh their government's reaction to challenges from overseas. The record of autonomous journalism establishes that the most excellent and accountable news media have always accorded high precedence to foreign news, and this fact still holds today.

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