Role of the media in U.S - Essay Example

Role of Media The specific role of the media in society is often debated but what is not arguable is that access to reliable information is essential to the health of a democratic society. The accuracy of this information is dependent on journalistic integrity which varies by individual or particular news organization and by the credibility of the sources offering this information. Both factors are intertwined and are the subject of this discussion which will further address the media’s role within a democracy and explain how and why the media is influenced by outside dynamics in relation to domestic politics and international affairs.

The responsibility of the media is to inform the public regarding the candidate’s stance on policy but exclusive, personal interviews are allocated to journalists who are viewed by the candidate as non-confrontational and non-threatening. Because of this, the media, again, becomes the unwitting instrument of its source. The unfortunate economic truth is that the journalist who gets the story keeps their job while the one with integrity, who won’t compromise their ethics by pandering to the politician but does not get the story does not receive a paycheck for long, at least in this profession.

Another financial reality is that media organizations “cannot afford to have reporters and cameras at all locations and so economics dictates that they concentrate their resources where significant news often occurs” (Chomsky, 1989: 18). The media also utilizes corporations and trade groups to provide stories because they are considered credible sources due to their prestige and status. The government and corporations alike exert much time and effort to accommodate the media so as to sustain their status as primary sources.

“The large bureaucracies of the powerful subsidies the mass media, and gain special access by their contribution to reducing the media’s costs of acquiring the raw materials of, and producing, news” (Chomsky, 1989: 22). The reality of the relationship between the government and the media is not one of true independence as is necessary in a well-functioning democracy. In the real world, however, the media is encouraged to dissent “as long as these remain faithfully within the system of presuppositions and principles that constitute an elite consensus, a system so powerful as to be internalized largely without awareness” (Chomsky, 1989: 302).

Citizens of all nations have the seemingly innate tendency to flock to a cause, need or concern once they are made aware of it. The mass media is, of course, from where this information is likely to originate. If the media reported everyday on their local representative in government, how and why they voted on each issue and questioned them on topics of public concern, the ripple effect would resonate through from the citizenry through to the politicians. It would be the topic of conversation instead of say, celebrity gossip.

If every night, a person turned on the television and saw the plight of the shut-in elderly, the situation would improve. Volunteers, money and facilities would flow in. Even if those desiring only media exposure for themselves gave something to the cause, the gesture would still benefit the cause. If information is power then people should question if society is receiving the information it needs to effect change in their opinions and in society. Media that is controlled by anything other than the motivation to gather and distribute accurate and prevalent information must be questioned.

The debate regarding the ideals and responsibilities regarding the role of the media in our society must encompass discussion that ensures that the information we receive meets society’s needs and not the purposes of those that have selfish interests. This powerful source must shape opinion based on the truth and not ulterior motives of government, business or individuals. Only in this way can mass media play a positive role in a democratic society. Works Cited Chomsky, Noam. “Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies.

” South End Press. (June 1989).