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Introduction: Media and Society
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12223 |
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MODERN THOUGHT
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2 / 1987 |
356 Words |
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Events are ranked in a hierarchy of "things," "affairs," and "scandals," and the public's indignation or sympathies are raised daily as headlines flip through the presses and solemn-faced newscasters peer out into American living rooms. Satellite communications have enveloped the entire globe within the realm of instantaneous accessibility, and millions look, without question, to the media as their window to the world. Yet, it must also be kept in mind that the media adjusts the blinds and chooses the draperies for that window.
Because the very decision as to what is newsworthy involves interpretation and not mere communication of events, it is important to acknowledge how and when the objectivity of the media fails. A detail as small as the caption for a picture or a quotation chosen as a readout for an article can steer the public's response. For this reason, the Modern thought section has choosed as its special theme this month "Media and Society" and offers a number of stimulating and informative essays analyzing recent reporting by American media.
Dinesh D'Souza studies the contest for power within the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the funding agency for public broadcast programs. He gives an overview of recent PBS documentaries, showing that, by its choice and treatment of topics, public broadcasting has been leaning to the Left. Efforts from the Right to create more balance have usually been unsuccessful. Thomas Landess offers a case between Harold Washington and Bernard Epton. He shows how an election-making issue can be created and sustained by the media's selection and interpretation of phrases taken out of context. Richard Bocklet shows that biased, selective news coverage on such topics as Vietnam, Beirut,
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