What should be the role of the Press?

Question

a). To go along with and be embedded with the powers that be (including military powers) and report only what those powers want us to hear.

b). To be a promoter of the current administrators policies

c). Report the secrets and corruption of government no matter who in in office or what party they belong to. To question those in power thru thorough investigation and hard work.

d). To entertain the populace with tales of puppy dogs being born and kittens being stuck in trees.

Or, maybe you have another idea you wish to express.

This is a serious question and I am really looking for serious responses that have been thoughtfully expressed. Thank you.

People, Don't you think that the answer c) could also be said to be about facts and truth?

Correy, give me a break. The "fairness doctrine" was almost done away with during Reagan's first term in office. And, the conservatives have been in charge of it ever since. It is the conservatives that have been censoring what goes on our airwaves and allowing the corporations to not have both sides of an issue debated like it was, more or less, prior to Reagan being in office. I have never heard a liberal speak on the air since this doctrine was virtually gotten rid of. If you think any of the people Fox has on it is liberal, you're nuts. BTW, Colin Powell's son was in charge of the FCC for the last 6 years and he isn't liberal by any means of the word.

Answer 1

"The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

- Finley Peter Dunne

1. To speak truth to power
2. To serve as disinfecting sunlight on secrecy
3. To create an informed, educated populace that can make effective decisions about its governance.

Needless to say I think our press fails at most of the above miserably - particularly the last.

Answer 2

Mainly c and also d.
If you are a reporter, and doing your job, you report every bit of truth you can dig up, and you don't stop digging.
You can't care whether the facts you expose damage one party or another. You can't try to judge who deserves to be in the news and who doesn't.
You find out everything you can, publish everything that is relevant, and fill up the rest of the space (print or air-time) with the entertaining stuff.

EDIT

Corey --- Everything that you said is wrong with the FCC is what is wrong with the FCC. Only problem is how it got that way. Conservatives kicked out the liberals from the FCC. Look it up. Don't just assume that because you don't like something, it is the liberals' fault. I'm sure there are many things you don't like that are the liberals' fault, but this ain't one of 'em.
The fairness doctrine is no longer law. The people who tightened up and enforced restrictions against titties and bad words are conservatives.
Who do you think went after Howard Stern? Do you think it was liberals? No, of course not. It was the conservatives that he made fun of. That's who has power in the FCC.
By the way, censoring titties and swear words, and allowing violence and imbalance, is a conservative idea. You, my friend, are a liberal, and didn't even know it.

Answer 3

C. "Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted" was the motto when the press was in the journalism mode rather than in a "business" mode. This is even MORE necessary in the US system as an IMMEDIATE check against government crime and corruption since there is not a "no confidence" vote as in parliamentary systems and the government officials are in power for a definite term of years during which a LOT of damage can be done, barring an unweildly impeachment. The textbook case is Dictator Dumbya.

Answer 4

When I was younger the role of the press was basically to report facts without phrasing it in a way to affect opinion. Now we have a media that is all they do and deny doing it. I will give you a example. global warming! I have seen facts proclaiming it is true but I have read many facts from scientist refuting it, is this ever reported, no!

Here is another story never reported, they have done polls of the America people about different occupations and the reporters, media people came in just above used car salesmen as far as trustworthiness is concern.

Answer 5

C., but it is a very thin line to walk. If a journalist reports in this manner, he or she will soon be out of a job, if not worse. As to puppy dogs and kittens, I believe hard news should be tempered with human interest articles. I am a former journalist who can tell you the powers that be run what a paper prints.

Answer 6

I think both c & d. I think the role of the press should be to report the FACTS period. They should not lean toward or against any political party but this is not reality. The big corporations that own the press can put any slant on it they want to. It's up to us to get our news from a variety of sources including international news. We have to then weigh out the things we believe to be true and go with it. I don't think things will ever stray from what's going on right now so it's up to us to see through the bull**** and find out the facts.

Answer 7

c). Report the secrets and corruption of government no matter who in in office or what party they belong to. To question those in power thru thorough investigation and hard work.

Answer 8

seemingly many years ago, the FCC imposed a rule called the "Fairness Doctrine." In this doctrine, every TV and radio news show must give the same time for each side to talk about an issue. Both democrats and republicans would get so many minutes to talk. That rule MUST be re-enforced! Because of the enflux of the number of new radio + tv shows since the doctrine was initially imposed.. The FCC got a little sloppy with its enforcement, seemingly focusing more on censorship of bad words. Priorities FCC, Priorities. Shape up and fix this!

The FCC has, for many years, been battered by the liberals to censor bad words and such. Ever since 2000, all the FCC has done is pass laws based on censorship. Now, it seems like, or it could actually be, that the FCC is controlled by the Liberals..
The FCC spends all this time on the offense.. always condemning stations/tv channels... sueing/fining radio stations for slipping up one or two times while on air, saying "bad" words, and sending out Lawyers to monitor what Radio stations do for stunts/activities.
The FCC spends all this time making up regulations for such rediculous things as, for example.. this was talked about doing on Opie and Anthony, what rules you must follow in order to throw money out of a helicopter for people to have.
I think people spend too much time being afraid of the FCC, to realise what flaws the FCC has.

Clearly, it has been over-run by the liberals and pro-future lunatics... and since that started... things that protect right-wing media and bi-partisanship have been lost. Such as the "Fairness Doctrine"

Someone needs to call out the FCC for this. However, if Bush does this, he'll be criticized by the left-wing liberals for trying to stop left-wing media... they will probably even call him a tyrant... judging by past unintelligent bumper-sticker accusations they make of Pres. Bush.
So who can?

I would also like to see the FCC be run by, instead of some "non-partisan" organization... because i think we all know theres no such thing as being "unbiased" ... only such thing as masking your bias with technicalities (CNN)... a "bi-partisan" liberal/conservative group is what i'd like to see.

Just a little tid bit you might find interesting:
Congressman Maurice Hinchey of New York says bluntly: Right wing media must be stopped.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245685,00.html

Answer 9

The press is suppose to report, not participate.

They should not state things they can not prove. They should not say. . . "___________ was sad." UNLESS the person in question stated they were sad.

They should not participate in treason. Accepting and printing classified documents is wrong.

They should ask the hard questions, but they should ask them in a objective manner.

They should not follow the "if it bleeds it leads" train of thought to the exclusion of the positive.

Answer 10

(e)- report the news with no bias (I know this is a fantasy), but also, they don't need to report government secrets, even though i would love to know some of that stuff, it only harms us, having it to the public. Its just, the Press focus's on some things more than others, which really just makes it bias, which is why the choice of (e) is a fantasy

EDIT: I said basically the same thing as the person above me said, but i said no govt. secrets.... do you want to know that stuff, think about it, what good will come of it?