The video clip about "The Investigators" got me thinking about what other news stories are out there that the media are keeping from us. Surely that wasn't an isolated case where a story was killed because advertising dollars were at stake or there was another conflict of interest. There could possibly be life-saving information out there for some of us, only the media has other ideas in store for us. They determine what we need or want and force feed us that crap. Then they keep information from us that might actually be useful or necessary.
The video clip also shows that there is really nothing I can do about it. As a journalism major, I've been taught that my only loyalties lie with providing the truth for the public. Not with money. Not with people. Not with major corporations. That's good and all, and in a perfect world that would be the case. But I constantly see examples that tell me otherwise. I want to be an ethical journalist. I want to provide the truth. But how can I do that if I don't have a job as a journalist? People that are loyal to media corporations and their respective conflicts of interests are going to be the ones with the jobs while I wait in line for food at a soup kitchen.
The point was brought up in class about how there were certain laws in place back in the early 1900's to break up monopolies in the coal industry. Where are those laws now? Why can't we enforce those laws? Fox News seems to be the most common violator of the public's interest. But I would like to know what other news stations have compromised the public's interest for their own. No doubt there are many.
Like I said, it would be nice to be able to do something about it. But the media aren't going to change itself, and it doesn't seem like the government is interested in forcing the media to change.
So if any of you have any good ideas let me know. Meanwhile I'll try to get in contact with Rupert Murdoch to see if he'll lend us his support.
It's all one big conspiracy. There is so much muck out there it is up to us to sift through it and decide what is important to us and not some media firm. I agree that there needs to be some kind of medium so that we get information and at the same time we dont get drowned in it.
ReplyDeleteAAAAAMMMEEENNN Tyson. It is super frustrating to think that there may be fatal stories out there that are being kept from us for the sake of someone "High-Up"s good name. If there is information that could hurt the public, you would think it would be the news' job to fill us in, but the hard-to-swallow truth is that the news dosn't care about our well being, they care about money. Thats all everyone seems to care about these days.
ReplyDeleteI don't envy you for being a journalism major. I hope that even though that video was crazy to watch (and extremely irritating and unethical from the corporate side) that you stick to your guns if you're ever faced with a similar situation! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYeah I have no ideas about what to do about this problem...but I could NOT believe that it isn't illegal to report false information or bend the truth. That's crazy, the news is supposed to be fact. Isn't that what we've always learned?
ReplyDeleteTyson you hit it right on! The most importaint thing for a reporter is to get the truth. The Investigators were put through the ringer. As they saw it, they were told to LIE! And it should be illegal to report things that are untruthful! This crap is irriatating!
ReplyDeleteDude- I am comment #6! I think your mustache is attracting people to your blog. I really like your post man. You're not just an actor after all. This kind of stuff angers me too. It has always set me off. This is actually the reason I wanted to be a PR dude. I have always heard how corrupt one side of advertising/media is and wanted to be the exception. You see, the conclusion I have come to is that in every situation where corruption exist, there are probably those working in the background who don't agree with what is going on. These are the ones that keep the whole system from crashing in onto its self.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, ever wonder what Mickey Mouse would look like with a mustache? Or if he was of Asian decent?