Media undoubtedly plays a crucial role in our political climate. It is a powerful force in American society as a whole, extending well past government coverage. The world critically relies on newspapers and newscasters to maintain them informed. Given humanity’s inherent fear of the unknown, we depend on media to alleviate that terror. However, Gallup polls have depicted that national public opinion on media has been at a steady decrease, “consistently being below majority level since 2007.” In 2016, trust plummeted to 32%, the lowest it has even been since Gallup began measuring. The election was most likely pivotal in this decline, but it does not justify the low trust ratings in the past decade.
Several factors have resulted in the public’s declining opinion and reliance on the media. Perpetual attention on murder, theft, and rampant crime has forced people to believe that news organizations report only on the negatives. The allotted time given on news brings about an incredibly limited coverage of potentially important stories. In the average 30 seconds that each story is designated on TV, there is little room for explicit detail. Political agendas have motivated the coverage of only some stories and the omission of other evidently newsworthy events. Audiences believe that they can only experience an altered perspective of the world, guided by a force that only allows one to see what they want one to see. While this may seem like a horror scenario straight out of 1984, it conveys a genuine fear in America.
Witnessing the degrading state journalism has been afflicted with, it would be beneficial to elaborate on the core of genuine journalism. This, of course, excludes the likes of many predominant stations and publications, as they divert from the most basic law of journalism by detaching themselves from a neutral perspective. Partisanship has, unfortunately, been a frequent and unrelenting presence for years which attempts to manipulate and decide how viewers and readers should think. This evidently inhibits the audience’s ability to make a true choice as it only presents a one-sided argument. In some cases, this could also lead to misinformation. By refusing to cover stories that may discredit an argument, viewers are removed from the realities of the contemporary world, which is the exact antagonist of journalism. Unbiased coverage is essential for a reason. Journalists should not concern themselves with how people think, they should concern themselves with what people know. If one’s belief is well-founded, then the proof should lie in objective, concrete evidence.
Journalism is often regarded as the fourth branch of government, and that title was earned with reason. It is meant to serve as a watchdog and expose faults and corruption in our system. It is meant to remind its audience that there are problems, whether global, national, or local, that need to be confronted. Its true intention should be to keep the audience aware of the world so that logical and informed decisions can be made. However, this noble position has been tainted. As of late, the watchdog has been setting its sights on only one side. Muckraking has become politically driven. Once again, this brings about a misrepresented view of reality. It is necessary that these organizations that have willingly adopted the responsibility of depicting truth show every side of an argument.
The world is a large place, with thousands upon thousands of newsworthy topics occurring daily. It lies on the shoulders of the media to determine which events are more relevant. This is undoubtedly a difficult task, but it seems that the components of determining relevance has been skewed. In simple terms, the importance of a story should be measured by factors such as proximity to the audience, the direct or indirect effect the event has on viewers and readers, and most importantly, whether it educates the audience on genuinely important information to help them make more accurate decisions. However, because news organizations are also businesses, money plays an influential role. Because of this, many have begun to detach from these established guidelines of relevance and simply concerned themselves with whatever brings in the largest audience. This breeds sensationalism and constant celebrity coverage as opposed to pressing national or international issues.
True journalism lies in unbiased, all-encompassing reporting. It leaves no room for personal agendas. It worries only for the truth, and its sole purpose is to satiate the world’s thirst for awareness and combat ignorance. An overwhelming portion of the news that is consumed today drastically veers from this creed. Those we consider “journalists” and “reporters” traverse more along the lines of activists. While the denotation of that word is seemingly harmless, or in some cases even benign, it is not one that should go hand-in-hand with journalism. Perhaps, as a response to its perpetually declining public opinion, contemporary journalism will return to its roots. It is at this state that Americans will receive a proper and truly comprehensive view of the world.
