How has Media changed since the 1950's?

Question

I have a report due on it. HELP!

ANSWER QUICK PPLS!

Answer 1

In the 50's (and before) most news organizations (newspapers, radio ... as tv wasn't a large influence way back then!) were owned and operated by very conservative businessmen. They were continually criticized that these big conservative businessmen "CONTROLLED" the media and the reporting of the news, thus "slanting" the news in the conservative way.

During the 60's and especially into the 70's, the whole ideology of reporting the news changed. It was influenced by the radical students at the universities, by the "protests" against the Vietnam war and racism, and the "Women's Lib" movement. More and more, the reporters saw themselves not as mere "observers" of news events, but "participants" and "influencers" of the news.

Eventually, within the journalism schools across the nation, the role of the journalist/reporter was not merely someone who told the "Who/What/When/Where/How" of events, but there were "investigative" journalists... people who wanted to "change the world" with their "reporting." If you interviewed a journalism student from the 1950's, you might hear, "Well, I want to report the news... what's happening in our community every day. I want to inform people of the goings on so that they can know what's happening around them. But, starting in the 60's and 70's, and now, it is a complete transformation of the philosophy of journalism, that now, you might hear, "I want to change the world! I want to let people know what's going on. People should know so that they know what to think, what to do. Otherwise, if I don't tell them, they won't know what to do!"


I hope this helps with your report. I hope you can "flesh" it out, and include other ideas!


Have a great day!