TV news not objective
Media conglomerates control all messages heard
Rachel Clark
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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With the current state of many news networks, "direct" and "impartial" are no longer an option. A fact that should not be ignored is that the television industry is essentially an oligopoly of five companies.
They are Disney (ABC), Viacom (CBS), Universal (NBC), Time Warner (CNN) and News Corporation (Fox). News Corporation is the second largest of these conglomerates and extends to five different countries and owns 175 newspapers and 35 television news stations. It is then logical to assume that the views and politics presented from such a conglomerate reaches many people and have a profound effect on the way its audience perceives its news.
Fox's founder and president, Roger Ailes, was for decades one of the most savvy and pugnacious Republican political operatives in Washington, a veteran of the Nixon and Reagan campaigns. The history of his political party affiliations is hard to ignore.
The current leader of this massive corporation is a man named Rupert Murdoch. The news network, FOX news, is well-known for its more conservative political view, just as much as MSNBC is known for its liberal bias. These opinions are regularly viewed with certain political personalities such as Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann, through their own programs. However, this should never be a part of actual television news broadcasting.
As Americans, we must hold and protect the First Amendment, and by no means should these extreme views be censored. However, the integrity of journalism should not be sacrificed. The number one duty of the American press is to educate the public, and a basic ethical code should be upheld. These include: independence, accuracy/truthfulness, impartiality, fair play and decency.
It can be argued that with a conglomerate, independence can be a concern. However, with the News Corporation, truthfulness and impartiality are no longer enforced. As a public, we can not be submissive to such a crime against basic American principles. The influence that this one man, Rupert Murdoch, has on an international population is profound and nothing less than terrifying.
The actual news broadcasts have become a promotion for the Republican Party by pushing and spinning certain news stories that highlight these conservative values. The irony is almost too much, as the slogan for the network reads, "fair and balanced." It has received the nicknames of "Fox noise" and "fixed news," which, with the following evidence, seem rightfully deserved.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Devil's Advocate
posted 11/25/09 @ 1:00 PM CST
"The major argument against monitoring a news network is that of going against the first amendment and the possibility of censorship. But when a network decides what stories to report, based on the direction of one owner, isn't that censorship? Doesn't the public deserve to know the original, honest, unbiased and accurate information? Isn't that the job of the press and the basic ethical code for all journalists? "
I think this article is well written and contemplated. (Continued…)
Steve M
posted 12/02/09 @ 11:27 AM CST
There's no such thing as 'objective news'. It's a myth, something well-intentioned people invented in the mid-20th century to try and appeal to adults who'd had enough propaganda for one lifetime. (Continued…)
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