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.