Friends' Blogs

http://vjanacko.blogspot.com/
On this website, I found some information about a recent MTV show that deals with plastic surgery and teenagers wanting to look like their TV stars.

http://emosic.blogspot.com/
Informative, yet disturbing website of the effects of 'Emo'-music on teenagers. I gained knowledge about the movement I did not know much about before.

http://children-and-advertising.blogspot.com/
Website about the effects of advertising on children. Children can be affected by advertising from quite a young age on. It should be considered as a duty to teach children to be more confident and to think critically.

http://mantasciuksys.wordpress.com/
Website about the low intellectual quality of media. This website shows different examples to illustrate the point (e.g. 'Jackass'). A rather negative look upon nowadays media environment.

http://adelaunyp.wordpress.com/
This website shows the way women are presented in the media. It is a personal website with the author's own experiences concerning this matter. Since the author has some connections in the area of modelling herself, there is information you would generally not find elsewhere. The techniques illustrated to make a person look perfect are shown in several examples.

Chinese Protest Against Media Distortion In The UK

Works Cited

Distortion through media's lens - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

<http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/steigerwald/s_169741.html>.

Fisk, Robert. "Through A Lens, Fuzzily". The Independent On Sunday, December 5, 1993.

Goodman, Amy. "Myth And Reality: The Jennifer Lynch Hoax". The Exception to the Rulers. London. Arrow 2004.

Guardian.co.uk.

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/04/comment.pressandpublishing>.

Objectivity and The Media.

<http://www.honestreporting.com/a/media_objectivity.asp>.

The National Student. 20 April 2008.

<http://www.national-student.co.uk/pages/uk_news/chinese_students_protest_media_distortion.html>.

Essay

The manipulation of media to influence public opinion has been made clear so far. Although people would like journalists to be independent and objective, these expectations are often shaken. The media are biased. According to Simmons, “If truth is to prevail, we cannot just ‘read’ the newspaper.” Being a discerning reader and not merely taking in the media information passively is one way of handling media more successfully without becoming disappointed. As Mark Twain once put it, “If you don’t read the newspaper,you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” People should not become objects of someone else’s agenda. However, it again needs to be pointed out that the media violate objectivity and, as a result, distort and alter reality. An example of this violation is that media use misleading terminology as well as imbalanced reporting. Another aspect is that mere opinions are often disguised as news. Simmons notes that “the source for any facts and opinions should be clear from the report.” Sadly, in today’s media world, reporters do not have the inclination to verify information before its publication. Yet by being astute media observers, a difference can be made. It just needs to be kept in mind that all news media distort reality all the time. Having personal experience or detailed knowledge about places or events in the news makes it easier for the consumer to filter out the truth. Still, the media shouldn’t be looked at in a negative way throughout. Reality - no matter if at local, national or international level – is simply too complex to be captured accurately. Any medium has difficulties to present reality well since it is just too big. To take as an example the occupied Iraq, the daily coverage is mostly negative. Negative news sell. That is another viewpoint of media distortion, to make reality more exciting and eventful for commercial matters. By being aware of these media methods, people can avoid trusting the information blindly. However, some change in news reporting and delivering information can already be affirmed. The New York Times, for instance, reprinted a picture of Tuvia Grossman, a 20-year-old Jewish student from Chicago, studying in Jerusalem. He was nearly lynched by feral Palestinians. The New York Times, by contrast, pictured the incident differently by giving the impression of an Israeli soldier being the aggressor who beat Grossman. With public pressure for showing the truth, the media might become more concerned about the proper content and accuracy of the information published and thus, stick more to reality without any alteration or distortion that can be criticized.

Web Pages Recommendation

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/steigerwald/s_169741.html

The article “Distortion through media’s lens” by Bill Steigerwald on the Pittsburgh Tribune Review website, published on December 14, 2003 points out the high influence of media distortion and the way it affects the public’s perception of reality. The web page depicts a rather personal viewpoint of the author. Steigerwald presents his experience with media distortion and the way he is shown the opposite of his expectations. This web page is interesting to visit since the author is relating all text to himself.

http://www.national-student.co.uk/pages/uk_news/chinese_students_protest_media_distortion.html

The article “Chinese students protest ‘media distortion’” by Chris Mark on The National Student website, updated on April 20, 2008 discusses the protest of students against media’s distortion in the reporting of the Free Tibet movement. This web page is recommended since it shows the reaction of a younger audience to a political topic.

http://www.honestreporting.com/a/media_objectivity.asp

The web article “ Objectivity & The Media” by Rabbi Shraga Simmons on the Honest Reporting website presents the principles of media objectivity and their violations in the media. A lot of examples illustrate the issue.

Web Article Discussion

The Guardian online article “Our media have become mass producers of distortion” by Nick Davies, published on February 4, 2008 discusses another article from Fleet Street, published in June 2005. It is about a gang of child bullies who attempted to kill a five-year-old boy by hanging him from a tree. The boy managed to free himself. However, the entire story turns out to be fake and distorted. “Nevertheless, the tabloids ran all over it; and TV and the rest of Fleet Street joined in,” The Guardian article claims. Well-known newspapers such as The Independent, Times and The London Evening Standard were writing about the matter as ‘lynching’. Davies denounces news media to be full of profound falsehood. He criticizes the journalists’ approach and work, “journalists have always worked with too little time and too little certainty,” but also disapproves the
governmental system that interferes in and restricts the journalists’ work far too much. According to Davies, this intimidation and inhibition make it hard for the news media to operate independently and unbiased. In his opinion, “the general tendency to recycle ignorance is far worse than it was.” He gives factual data about recent research from specialists at Cardiff University that 80 % of the UK news stories from quality dailies (Telegraph, Guardian, Times) are “wholly, mainly or partially constructed from second-hand material, provided by news- or PR agencies,” whereas only 12 % are composed of material researched by reporters. The remaining 8 % stay unsure. Davie’s negative attitude towards journalism is evident throughout the article. He breaks with the whole industry of journalism. Similarly to the articles posted before, this internet article again shows the unreliability of media information. The trustworthiness of mass media is doubtful. Lack of time and insufficient research make it possible for media to create a distorted or altered reality.

Another illustration of the media’s alteration of reality is a series of three documentaries that has been aired on Channel 4. The series features the award-winning Middle East correspondent, Robert Fisk. According to Fisk, the camera has an influence on the truth. Reality has to be made digestible for television- or film viewers. One important requirement is simplicity. The director controls and overviews the film-making. It is him/her who makes final decisions in terms of shooting. Thus, the viewer sees the reality through the eyes of the director since he/she rules on what to tape and what to omit. One example in the documentary that illustrates this aspect in a clear way is the occasion when the director, Michael Dutfield, decides to move the furniture or, more precisely, the sofa upon which one of the interviewees is sitting. “It gives the wrong impression,” Dutfield said. It is a common fact that reality isaltered to fit the viewer’s taste. Interviewees are selected or rather ‘auditioned’ to create the perfect image the director or media agency wants. Film material is often revised to appeal to a broader audience. In addition, money plays an important part as well. The film crews depend on the budget they can spend, that is at their disposal. “At 20 pounds a minute, we could not allow our television interviewees (...) to ramble on. I would have to interject and cut into their monologue to bring them back to the point,” Fisk admits. Sometimes, the film crews also need to get permission to shoot on special locations. Consequently, documentary- or film-making is never completely independent and, reality is rarely, if ever depicted in its proper way. It is a myth that the camera never lies. There are restrictions to every technology. Reality, in its own sense, needs to be accomodated.