Problems in the Media
By: Lance Winslow
I am noticing an increasing and alarming rate to which the media journalists in all forms use the media for public opinion and not for news. Whereas this is not all bad, it is bad when it is purported as news and not public opinion. The questions of interviewers are public opinion and often very jaded. As I watched the AP news and look where the news is coming from for instance “AP-San Francisco” a story about the past Governors Race in CA, it seems that the article was so jaded it is not even relevant.
Yet it is put out on the AP Friday Night and is reprinted in the Saturday’s paper for lazy newsrooms in which the editors have assigned remedial tasks to second tier reporters. Which might be better than the first tier who may have been over stepping their own bounds in opinion. Thus this tactic of sending news out on Friday or Saturday evenings is done by those who wish to play the media; sometimes this backfires, but other times it works. It backfires when the editors actually read the stuff and assign an in-depth report on the subject. However first news helps form opinions and once someone has an opinion they tend to keep it.
I also find it rather fascinating when I happen to be infinitely aware of a subject matter and talk with a common citizen about an issue only to find out that they have a solid opinion of the matter and regurgitate the medias point of view. Maybe this is why Hitler read five newspapers a day? That is a scary thought. Eventually as he rose to power the media did not dare print anything he disagreed with. Great? Now that’s a real good use of media? When certain factions of the opposition party use the media to tilt real news. Are they perpetuating a fraud against the American People for their own agenda? Absolutely. What difference is it which country or time period we are in?
Think about the mass media before you surrender your mind to it.
Lance Winslow