Media News Versus YouTube - Essay Example

MEDIA NEWS VERSUS YOU TUBE The media news play a vital role not only in keeping us up d, but also reshaping our views and opinions related to what goes on around the world, be it international politics, the September 11 terrorist attack, the news footage of suicide bombers or images of maltreatment of prisoners in the controversial War on Iraq. But in doing so, it strictly conforms to a laid down policy and it is often argued that the mainstream media is heavily biased because of the interests of the owner, government influence or the profit motives. This gave way to 'alternative media' like the YouTube and other such sites, and although the sources of such sites too may also sometimes be biased, but the bias tends to be different, hence alternative. The images posted on this site by the soldiers have made most Americans believe that the war on Iraq was not worth the loss of US lives. They need a full picture of Iraq to see what the gain is for that loss of life but the restrictions on media coverage do not allow this. The news media has been around for a very long time whereas, YouTube, the popular free video hosting website founded in February 2005, began its humble beginnings in a garage and offered the public a preview of the site in May 2005. And just six months later, YouTube made its official debut. Although this is an extremely large and popular site, it has met with much criticism. Videos filmed by amateur first gained popularity during the terrorist attacks on London subways and buses last summer, when traditional news organizations as well as informal websites utilized the photos and images supplied by witnesses. Now it is estimated that 100 million clips are viewed on YouTube daily and 65,000 videos uploaded every 24 hours. According to Nielsen/Netratings, the site has almost 20 million visitors each month, out of which around 44% are female, 56% male, while the most dominant age group is 12-17. Citizen Journalists Websites like YouTube, true to its motto, "broadcast yourself" allows people referring to them as "citizen journalists" to upload their own videos on an infinite array of subjects and has enabled anyone with a video camera or cell phone, live action films or written reports on news events. In relation to the Iraq war, the streamline media gives optimism to the viewers and shows the brighter side of the war, while the stories told by American soldiers in their homemade videos uploaded on this website, present a different picture. Beyond the philosophical dimensions of the global television communications, it is a close-up medium which readily involves emotions and is most effective in revealing the plights of the people. But troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are hearing the message that they should carefully consider before they upload any videos on the website. As opposed to controlled media, YouTube has given access to the citizen journalists to provide first hand accounts of major events even though they are less journalism than the raw material generated by amateurs, which a skilled and trained journalist should know how to weigh, analyze, describe and explain. Therefore, one cannot deny the fact that to treat an amateur as equally credible as a professional, would be to erode the line between raw material and finished product. Many people believe that editorial gate keeping is a form of censorship if not mind control, and the explosion of the internet; giving the notion that 'information wants to be free' has made traditional journalism a ready target. To its proponents, citizen journalism represents a democratization of media and a shattering power of the unelected elite as it not only challenges the notion of journalism in journalism, but completely circumvents it. But there are people who are of the view that however wrapped in idealism, citizen journalism forms part of a larger attempt to degrade, even to disenfranchise journalism as practiced by trained professionals. However, there is no question that the soldier behind the camera posted on the sites, is part of the Iraq war media journalism and these films are the first documentary about the war filmed by those fighting it. The military would never want videos showing the aftermath of an explosion or dead Americans and innocent bystanders, while YouTube believes that posting such images is their precise mission. In contrast to media coverage on Iraq, the videos by soldiers depict nothing but the grim reality. Critics of the YouTube website say that even if the amateur videos offer credibility of an unvarnished image, they lack any meaningful context of what came before and after the clip or what happened outside the frame. But if these clips lack a coherent explanation for why the bombs are going off, then the media have their own highlight reel; a montage of 9/11 with Colin Powell holding up a vial of anthrax, Zarqavi's death mask, some flashes of mortar fire, but this edit contains no footage of dead soldiers or even coffins and no image of the abuse of the detainees. War is grotesque According to the co- owner of Orgish.com Hayden Hewitt, the precise mission of his site and others like the YouTube is to let the West know what the war is like, as people have forgotten how grotesque war is. They misapprehend war as a gentlemanly thing. His website has about 1,000 separate items from Iraq and many more from insurgent websites than from coalition forces. Although it cannot be said for sure as to how many videos have been sent only by soldiers, but what is quite clear is that the senders of these clips just want people to know the sufferings of war. Media news, can most of the times be sugar coated and typical in its reports. This contrast is clearly visible through hundreds of clips posted by soldiers on YouTube or Orgish.com which are most graphic, showing the aftermath gunfights between coalition forces and insurgents and suicide bombers, which would never be shown on the media news. There are many showing the foul language being used by troops. But according to a long standing military officer in Iraq, most videos can harm force protection and security measures and can also be used as propaganda by enemies showing coalition forces as barbaric. However, video is not the only medium or the way to remember. A returning Marine in his "Combat Diary" talks about having to drink himself into a stupor every night in order to sleep. Therefore, making a music video out of the horrors of war won't keep the images from haunting our dreams. Conclusion With the rise of technology and the internet, the people are getting fed up with the corporate mass media losing touch with their reality. This media shift is not just about small versus big but it is about a new way of thinking or perhaps renewal of the old which has been lost in the big media mergers and the focus on profit over serving people. The democratization of media is about turning the power of news analysis, commentary and spoofery over to the people with digital video cameras and broadband internet access. This has made it possible for anyone to create not only news clips but also art and entertainment. It is becoming a massive online database which is making it possible for everyone to look for and figure out which news has some truth in it. _____________________________________________________ BIBLIOGRAPHY Cox Marie Ana. "The YouTube War." Time Magazine, July 19, 2006. Green Allen Richard. "Pentagon Keeps Eyes on War Videos." BBC News, Washington. 29 July, 2006. Retrieved on 9-15-2006. Netratings, Inc. "YouTube U.S. Web Traffic Grows 17 Percent Week Over Week, According to Nielsen/Netratings (Press Release.) 7-15-2006. Retrieved on 9-15-2006. Tyson Scott Ann. "Media Caught in Iraq's War of Perceptions." The Christian Science Monitor. November 18, 2003. USATODAY.com. "YouTube Serves up 100 Million Videos a Day Online." 7-16-2006. Retrieved on 9-15-2006. ______________________________________ Read More