Has the power of the media gone too far?

Question

Has the media been affected by capitalism and, as a consequence, its status as a pivotal element in democracy undermined?

What ever happened to reporting the news instead of telling us what we should think of the news? Aren’t people capable of listening, pondering and coming to their own conclusions without reading Jeremy Clarkson's viewpoint in the Daily Mail? What do you guys think and what do you think the extent of the media's power is?

Smack, a good point, but I’m more concerned with the media affecting the actions of elected officials and thus undermining the effectiveness of our democracy.

These are all excellent answers.

I think an interesting example is the media's portrayal of Israel over the last decade, where it has swung from pro-Israeli to pro-Palestinian and is mirrored perfectly with popular opinion.

Answer 1

They have only gone as far as the people have let them. People chose to let others interpret events for them, to tell them the meaning of the world, and thus have given the media a power they did not earn or merit.

When the people give them this power, it in turn gives them power over the politicians. The media have not demonstrated itself to have the honesty, integrity or intelligence to be worthy of this power. Yet people persist in giving it to them. They have now become the censors of information, the image-makers to shape opinion - a Ministry of Propaganda, if you will.

They have abandoned objectivity, fact and truth in favor of bias and advocacy. And it ill-serves our Republic.

Answer 2

The Media has continuously long gone too far, touching directly to celebrities, and the invasion of their privateness. additionally, do you contemplate whether if all the tripe they write is real or merely hype to tickle the feathers of persons who won't bypass and study or examine some thing intense. on the different hand: The Media, is the main important cover-up artist, for the government, and what they (the government) are doing at the back of the curtain. To make concerns worse, you at present have the Australian Rupert Murdoch with the NYT in his possession, alongside with each of something.

Answer 3

The problem is the ownership of our media is in too few hands. Even the BBC that is owned by us is run by a left wing group.

If people did not want to read or listen they can turn it off. The old days of collecting news and repeating it has gone. People are more interested in the sleaze due to the diminishing moral standards watched over by the Blair government.
The media can make or break you the question is how do you break the media?

Answer 4

Perhaps, but surely the only power the media has is the fact that we listen to them? The "media" is not a single group. It is made up of hundreds of different news corporations, groups, newspapers and now Internet sites, that all have different view points. We tend to stick to the corporation or group that share our views in the first place anyway. Unless you only get your news from the BBC or by reading the Daily Star, there are far too many sources to choose from not to be getting a fair and balanced view of events if you want to.

Answer 5

I take your meaning, but this is a tricky one to answer, because it depends on what you define as 'the media'. And also who gives them the power in the first place?

'The Media' aren't tools of the government nor do they spread government propoganda. What they are is profit-making organisations. And in any given situation, if they can make more profit out of lying or putting a spin on a story than out of telling the plain honest truth, then they will do so.

'The Media' are also vehicles for advertising, and aren't too picky about the contents of such as long as it pays to screen it.

'The Media' have too much power because we have given them too much power. What is the solution? Educate people to be more discriminating in what they read, view or listen to. Education empowers people and enables them to see through hogwash and make up their own minds.

(I should add that I am speaking from a British perspective)

Answer 6

Unfortunately we have to rely on reports from the media about the world situations. Unless we know someone who lives abroad we don't know what is going on. However as the media is owned by Capitalists, we only have them to surf through the contents and give us what they want us to have.No people cannot come to their own conclusions because they have to work so hard just to make ends meet in to days society, they just can't be bothered. I know this is no excuse, but some of us are very easily lead and like it that way...........

Answer 7

Many people are brainwashed by news media. They blindly repeat anything they read or hear without discrimination. My pal Chang Chin said the critics were raving about some movie and that we must see it. We went, and I hated it. One acquaintance was fuming about Bush going to allow Clinton's assault weapons law to expire after ten years. He said everyone would now own machine guns. There are already laws concerning them, and Clinton's nonsensical law had nothing to do with them. I asked where he got such mistaken notions. He said he read it in "The New York Times". This is really outrageous, if a respected media giant lies so baldly to support its opinions. I dropped "Playboy" because it does all too much the same. Michael Bellesiles was given several pages in 2000 to spout his anti-gun lies, and when he was revealed as a fraud, the mag upheld him. More recently, Michael Moore's latest trash was named "DVD of the Month" and readers were told to watch it before they voted. I haven't paid much attention to the media for a long time, for I am smart enough to know it lies...unlike all too many people.

Answer 8

Yes Aaron, they have. Remember when they at least used to base the news loosely on the facts? Now they just make up their story, and base their comment on their invented version of the truth. It would be pathetic, except that it often involves people losing their life in an invented war, their liberty in a press-provoked protest, or getting injured in a media-spawned riot.

Answer 9

Undoubtedly it has.
Remember how the media promised to police itself after Diana's death - while being pursued by the media?
Didn't happen did it? Self regulation doesn't.
People like Murdoch realised a long time ago the power of the media, and he has been manipulating it ever since!

Answer 10

The media exists to make profits for owners or shareholders. The owners can "influence" the reporting but there is no obligation to be fair and honest or support "democracy" which requires a well informed public.

The "public" itself has become powerless as no amount of logic and demonstration seems to influence its leaders.