Thursday, April 5, 2012

News Media: Just Give Me The Facts

News media needs to stop entertaining so much and get back to investigation.

Freedom of the press is truly one of the greatest differences between the US and the rest of the world.  It exists truly as one of the series of checks and balances of the US system. It was partially envisioned to act as the watchdog for the general public in terms of rooting out wrong-doing within the various systems of US society i.e. business, politics, ethical actions, criminal activity

However, the news media has in the last twenty years just become an entertainment medium like any other and really serves virtually zero beneficial purpose other than general informing.

Outlets of all mediums has to serve a more tangible role in the modern world rather than being so willing to be spoon-fed the news and manipulated by influential private PR companies. In the worst case scenario which has become so prevalent, many news media outlets have just become part of the process and exist purely to serve an agenda under the guise of being a news agency.

The internet has certainly become a new medium for reporting but unfortunately due to lack of access and resources by the people who are striving to reveal the facts and truth it is mostly just opinion fueled rants that drives the content so little actual information is considered reliable. Further, even when it is proven reliable information there is usually such a backlash due to the ethical nature of the organization sharing the information that the information is overshadowed. WikiLeaks is a prime example.

What needs to evolve is an independently funded media that does not have to rely on subscribers or advertising for its operational budget and does not have to answer to society for what it reports on. I would suggest that the news media world should pool its resources rather than being in a competitive environment  such that the original intent of the media is to represent public interest rather than have to rely on that same public for its revenue. Currently, the public is more interested in being entertained rather than informed so they should not have the ability to influence news reporting.

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