News and the Media 3/27

We are living in a time where the government is dictating every aspect of the news. The government sets the agenda for all major issues considered "news". Different news corporations have different agendas based on their affiliations. I feel like this has always been the case, government propaganda has always been the responsibility of the media.

I think there is a huge need to represent more people in the media. In order to do this, we have to diversify newsrooms. Changes have to be made to be able to appeal to various races of people. Different demographics have different needs and interests when it comes to the media and it may not be possible to represent everyone through the media but an effort can be made to broaden the scope of media material.

In the beginning of the war, the media supported and urged the support of the American people. The war was portrayed as necessary and a patriotic action, rarely were negative positions of the war printed. This was fairly easy for the media due to the fact that 9-11 was fresh on the minds of many Americans and the early war effort was littered with positive visuals. The media was able to show bombing missions followed by a pep talk from President Bush. Most Americans and perhaps the media were full of emotion and spirit at this time which made the medias decisions on reporting fairly one sided.

The media played a crucial role in civil rights movement. The media allowed Americans to see the brutal actions actually taking place. Whether or not the media knew of the powerful effects it would have on history is irrelevant. The media exposed harsh realities of the times and diffused many excuses of Americans who wished to keep Americas problems out of sight and out of mind.