Thursday, October 23, 2008

Journalism

It was interesting to here from someone who produces to news. The same day Jesse came to class my Political Science class was discussing the media. We discussed whether the media had a liberal bias and the issue of sensationalism. Jesse confirmed what we concluded which was that although many newscasters are liberal the owners of the corporations are not.

On the topic of sensationalism, my POLS class decided that it was a negative thing. I now realize that it is more the fault of the viewers than the broadcasters for the triviality in the news. The stations must do what they have to get viewers and make money. If people want to see crime, drama, and movie stars the news must report on those stories or risk losing money. If people were really concerned about what was being broadcasted they would try harder to make their voices hear and change what is on the news. It is really our fault for not demanding news that really matters. Although, the news may be more entertaining we may be missing out of what we really need to hear to make informed decisions. We often let the media tell us what is important and make judgments accordingly. I hope that the news will be able to retain some of its objectivity and report on issues that Americans need to hear.