Essay/Term paper: Corruption of the media

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Sociology Term Papers

Today, more than ever the media plays a pivotal role in the ways in which Americans think and what they believe. Media can influence the masses in a number of different ways. Without the media it would be virtually impossible for the typical American citizens to be informed of today"s events. But information is not always the media"s goal. In fact, it rarely is. Many Americans feel that they can form opinions on there own. But, unknowingly opinion"s are formed simply by what paper gets delivered to your door or what channel you watch. The views of the president are greatly affected by the media due to the overwhelming amount of coverage by every form of media.
Upon watching various newscasts and reviewing articles printed in various newspapers, it is obvious that news is not filled facts but is more likely to be filled with opinions. The ideas and actions of the president can either be applauded or booed depending on which station you turn to. For instance, Bill Clinton"s view on the Republican"s tax cut proposal has faced much scrutiny from the media. The debate over this issue has been hotly contested. The Chicago Tribune has widely discussed the reasons for Bill Clinton"s refusal of this proposal. But in tracking this issue it has been shown that this paper rarely gives a Republican viewpoint discussing their reasons for proposing these tax cuts. No more than a tiny blurb at the end of end of an article is given to show the Republican side of this issue. On the other hand, The National Review, which is openly called America"s Conservative magazine, attacks Clinton"s decision and by saying that due to the multitrillion dollar surplus Americans deserve this tax break.
Another recent issue that has received many different views was Clinton"s clemency offer to 16 hispanic prisoners. The National Review immediately blasted Clinton for offering clemency to these prisoners because of their involvement in terrorist bombings. The magazine showed that Clinton was using the pardons to gain support from Hispanic leaders and Hispanic citizens. On the other hand, upon reading articles published in the Chicago Tribune tells the reader that Clinton is only "trying to ameliorate the judicial overkill that has placed Hispanics behind bars for the past twenty years." The Chicago Tribune also tells the reader that 10 Nobel peace prize laureates have supported Clinton"s pardon. Television also reported differently on this issue. On both Fox News and CBS"s "Face the Nation" representatives were brought on that were outraged by the president"s offer of clemency. All the representatives stated that the prisoners did not deserve clemency because of their lack of remorse. Many Republicans went as far as to say that Bill Clinton was trying to help Hillary"s campaign for New York State Senator because of the large amount of Hispanics in New York state. NBC however did not show America this side of the story. Instead NBC had a Democratic representative who agreed with Clinton stating that those offered clemency were not convicted of violent crimes and had no defense lawyer.
Recently CBS had a report that was not picked up by many other networks. Perhaps, due to it"s comical nature that would have made the Democratic party seem foolish in the eyes of Americans". CBS news reported a letter soliciting money to help aid Clinton"s legal fees. The comical part of all this is that a letter was sent to Bernard Lewinsky, Monica Lewinsky"s father. This was something that was very comical. This is also something that would be very interesting to the American people. But what is interesting is that CBS news was the only station to report this. So if there is an interesting news piece, why would only one station choose to report this?
Upon observing how these publications use their forum to give the reader information it is evident that their writings are nothing more than a form of propaganda that does not give the reader information based solely on fact but on the opinions of the publication. The unfortunate outcome of this indoctrination is that the American people have been swayed by whatever they read or hear on television because they are not receiving the full story. They are hearing what one channels or one papers view is. Which is not enough information to form a sound opinion on. In conclusion, today"s media is bias. They will look for everything wrong with the opposition and only point out the positive"s of their affiliation. In the end the reader can either be swayed or confused by the media"s views.