Phoebe Borwick and Alyx Condon
One would like to assume that they know what the news’ or media’ is if one referred to it in common conversation. In case not, here are some basic definitions:
News
Information about recent events or happenings, especially as reported by newspapers, periodicals, radio or television
Media
A means of mass communication, such as newspapers, magazines, radio or television.
Right. Now we’ve got that sorted, hands up who trusts everything they hear/read/see?
Sadly, most of the information that we receive as news has been filtered through the media machine and ends up containing some bias. Despite this, the information we glean from sources like television reports, the daily paper or the radio bulletins makes up our knowledge of the world around us.
Another major problem for us, the audience, is that our news is actually owned’. That is, people make money off of it. What does this all mean? That our perceptions of the world we live in can be skewed by spin doctors and press secretaries! As young New Zealanders, you and I need to be aware of what’s going on in the big wide world. As cheesy as it sounds, WE are the future. And contrary to the popular Split Enz song, history does repeat itself.
What is wrong with the media?
You want to sell someone a product? Easy. You dress it up in a spangly tutu and get it to tap-dance. You want to report a story on the stock market? Same deal. You make it sound exciting, keep it simple and voila! An audience is born.
Infotainment is entertainment masquerading as news. It links to sensationalism, which spices up a story to give it the oomph it needs to draw an audience. Skewing figures, exaggerating situations and fabricating events or facts are all methods used to make a story more appealingto a consumer (ie reader/writer). A quality piece of journalism would contain no bias, be wholly informative, entirely objective, thoroughly researched and devoid of sensationalism.
A journalist’s job is one that requires training and practice in order to be trusted as a reliable source. Biased reporting takes a side in whatever argument is being thrashed and it’s a journalist’s prerogative to eliminate this from their work so the readers can decide for themselves which side to take.
Our rights at home
In Kiwi country we live in a democracy; one that has ratified the UN Declaration of Human Rights which says that we all have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of press.
Mumbo-jumbo that basically means we can say and read what we like and our news doesn’t contain as much bias as there is in, say, China. Yet, we also have to deal with the issues of privatisation in the media — another fancy word that means that somebody owns it.
In New Zealand most of our major newspapers are privately owned: the New Zealand Herald, Sunday Star Times and the Dominion Post are just some of the more prolific names owned by one of either Fairfax (47% of all New Zealand publications) or APN News and Media (29%).
Why is who owns what important?
Because the number of journalists becomes limited and media outlets use the same sources and therefore end up saying the same thing.
Because there is little difference of opinion reflected and not so much diversity of view.
Because a CEO doesn’t give a hoot if you’re being fed the proverbial bull-puckey or not. (S)He cares about ratings and profit.
Yes, these are generalisations. But it’s also very important to understanding just why you and I need to look beyond what we’re drip-fed and form our own perceptions of the world.
The power of the dollar
In an independent journalist’s utopia everyone would have access to every newsbyte created. But to keep the media machine’s cogs well oiled takes money, and lots of it. To make that money, the machine is reliant on advertising.
The media is an industry. There is competition, there is profit to be made and there are audiences to attract. With so much of the mainstream media controlled by a select few, there often isn’t much room for diversity. The politics of business apply to the news we are presented with.
With profit as their goal, money and power are the two main factors that are usually at play when news content is decided upon. There is simply too much news out there for all of it to be reported and the selection of news rests with whoever is dishing it out, not by those who consume it.
Ultimately the advertiser decides what is — and isn’t included. US-owned CNN was reputed to earn a profit of $304 million in 2005 alone. That $304 million means that whatever is aired must reflect well on $304 million worth of shareholders, corporate power, associated companies, advertisers and political influence.
That’s a lot of people to please.Case in point: Chain-store giant Wal Mart has a lucrative advertising relationship with American broadcasters ABC and when Wal Mart was discovered to be abusing labourers’ rights, ABC refused to cover the story.
Other major news providers were happy to provide its’ citizens with the details, but ABC chose to run a only one story in which the department store was portrayed as a golden example of a workplace.
Careful now…
The result? We are only offered news that will compel us to want more: that which invokes fear, creates stereotypes and misinforms the viewer.
We are told that Africa is starving and everyone has AIDS and that the Middle East is full of terrorists. AIDS and terrorism, of course, issues that need to be covered but the balance is unfair. What we don’t hear are the positive stories from these regions, or about people working for change in these hard environments. In a recent Global Education Centre survey, terrorism was cited as the number one global concern to young people in New Zealand. Yet, how big a threat is it to us really and what are the more real dangers that the media doesn’t highlight?
How can you stop being sucked in?
Back when TV was in black and white and radio was called the wireless’, journalism existed almost purely to inform and music to entertain. Over the years, the lines have become blurred. One is just as likely now to encounter political propaganda in a rap single as the latest pop trend on a 6.00pm bulletin. It is more important than ever for us as young people to shape our minds into ones that can see through the cut-throat profiteers’ tactics and form independent opinions.
TAKE ACTION!
- Question, question, question:
- Why is this story being told?
- Has the full story been told?
- Who wrote it and what stance are they likely to take?
- Where did their information come from?
- Does anyone stand to gain from this article’s publication?
- Whose opinion is missing?
- Why might the opinions stated be disagreed with?
- Any other questions?
- Create your own media: Shoot a video, write a blog or a zine or start a documentary library
- Surf online to find decent journalism alternatives and independent media sources.
- Some include:
“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us” — Virginia Scott
“Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock” — Ben Hecht
This article was originally published in Tearaway magazine as part of the Global Focus project.
Tags: consumerism, corporations, human rights, Media, News