The Media and Society

2 Pages 563 Words

The Media and Society

Throughout time, newspapers and television have had a large effect on society. In the 1940s, German newspapers turned the Germans into Nazis and made them kill six million Jews. This would never have happened without the media. Likewise, television shows like America’s Most Wanted have changed society. More criminals are now caught because of this show, which is watched by almost everyone. So we have to ask: Is the media helpful to society, or isn’t it?
Hitler was evil. He was also smart, unfortunately. He made the Germans hate Jews by writing “Mine Kampf” and other newspaper articles. People read more back then, and almost everyone read the papers. So Hitler was able to brainwash the entire nation in about three years. In addition to six million Jews, many regular Germans died because of Hitler too. Since Hitler started World War II, you could say he caused the deaths of four million more people – the soldiers who died in the fighting. That doesn’t even include Hiroshima, which would add to the total. This is a strong case against the media.
Here is something similar. Although not as violent as Hitler, Jennifer Lopez has a bad effect on society. The media constantly shows her in tight outfits, with tight shirts highlighting her breasts and small waist. Her perfect body has turned young girls into anorexics overnight. If they stopped showing her, as well as Brittany Spears, people wouldn’t be as self-conscious and there would be far less eating disorders.
“America’s Most Wanted” is a popular television show. People like to solve crimes, so there are lots of viewers every episode. Last week, the show featured a gruesome killer named Karl Krickstein who strangled his victims with their own shoe laces before cutting off their arms and legs. People like this should be behind bars, and that’s what this show tries to do. This is an example of the media being helpful...