Selling Panic to the Masses

Whether it is H1N1, Health care, or terrorism the media seems to "sell panic" to its viewers. To use a medium to play off of the fears others in order to further ones agenda is not a business practice that should be advocated. I turned on the television this morning and the first thing I heard is Glen Beck stating that, "There is a revolution in America..." During our first class debate I brought up a question/comment towards the end of the discussion. I said that even though as a citizen I have a responsibility to research the information that I am given, the mediums that deliver that "news" need to be held responsible also to report with integrity and impartiality. Using their forums to interject their opinions or project their fears onto the public causes mass hysteria. Whether or not those fears may be legitimate will not matter. What will matter is the possibility that the "fear" could happen. These practices are no different than propaganda in Communist/Totalitarian governments or insurgent training camps. Feeding a groups physiological fears will always result in a unanimous uproar for change.

It had been said in our Bennett book that the mass media acts as a 4th branch of government to check and balance our government officials. The question stands, who is responsible for checking and balancing the Mass Media? We are! Democracy promotes one being responsible to and for another. This enables our society to keep an essentially level head when making decisions for the good of the public. No censuring is necessary. Just call BS when you see and hear it. I do not think it is healthy for the country that the media string the public along in an endless state of panic, especially when there is nothing to panic about that we can discussion civilly.

Mass Media & Politics (How do they affect us?)

This summer the majority of news broadcasting programs have been covering President Obama's/Congressional Health Care reform. Even though there is not a specific bill for this reform yet the town hall meeting meant to inform the public of their potential options have at times turn violent. While most citizens attend to address the concerns about how to reform our current system, others have used these forums to highlight other social concerns. While we may surf through numerous channels trying to decipher the truth, we are left to wonder is the Media is making a negative contribution to the American people by repetitively playing only negative and discouraging soundbites. Is this because by doing so they can create sensationalism and panic or are they really reporting the truth? Trust in our government has been wavering since 2001 and the media's role in reinforcing or destroying the relationship we have with our government officials is evident. The First Amendment is in place so that we may speak our minds and our hearts for the "common good of the people"; however, how do we make sure that these news forums are objective in nature? Who's good are we serving when we choose to accept what we are shown on television or listen to on the radio as fact and not plot in someones hidden agenda?

I have attached a link on this topic written by Maxwell McCombs. He poses some great perspectives on mass media and how is shapes public opinion.