1st Amendement

9 Pages 2360 Words

ause presently the media is doing more harm than good.

The job of the media is to find the truth and tell it to the people. The media has the power to inform the public, but often the information they receive is distorted. The media has shaped our view of society and the process by which we choose our leaders, make our rules, and make up our values. The media has the power to encourage people to like or hate the government. The media promotes what it believes is easiest for the public to accept, but in the process it fails to cover the issues properly. “The media can make us wiser, fuller, sure and sweeter than we are” (Orr 61). But, the media can also cloud the public’s judgments, and cause confusion and disillusion as well.

From Churchill to Hitler to the former Soviet Union, it is quite clear that radio, television and newspapers have the power to change and make history. A clear example of the power of the media was when Orson Welles’ made his famous radio broadcast about “witnessing” the landing of a spaceship full of Martians. “America saw that the power of the media could appeal to the public easily and cause mass hysteria” (Williams 25).

The media feels that they should act as a “watchdog.” This causes many of the ethical problems among the media because they assume the responsibility of keeping a check on the government, by acting as governmental critics, governmental experts, etc. The media digs, researches, and snoops in governmental affairs, which eventually leads the media to speculate and create rumors while they are trying to expose corruption. This “watchdog” attitude of the media creates the idea that the government is evil and must constantly be checked. But according to Lisa Orr, “Nobody checks the checker” (63).

John Silber, a critic of the media in 1988 said: “The reporter’s work should be like a pane of glass, perfectly clear and uns...