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While reading through the readings from the book this week, I was supplied with quite a lot to think about. From being reminded of the Polish censorship my heritage escaped from, to anecdotes and stories of unethical media practices from right in our domestic backyard, nothing got my mind spinning quite like the whole concept of American corporate media. What I mean by this is that, while America's commercial media system allows for a large array of different opinions to be shared and nurtured into the public, there is a point when the monetization of information gets in the way of the objective truth.
Money Is The Root Of All Evil
An anecdote as old as time itself. But perhaps there is more merit behind this saying than that of a cynical, nihilistic outlook on reality. American mass media is set up in a capitalist system with capitalist ideas. Media companies know their audiences, and they work to sell to that audience.
Fox News has a conservative product for a conservative audience, CNN is the same but for centrists and moderate liberals. But this is the point where free speech and ethical journalism meet a standstill. Even just looking at their home pages, both Fox and CNN choose to focus not necessarily on misinformation, but on partial information.
A look at CNN's political homepage shows in its "hot topics" section things that liberal readers and viewers would value - Donald Trump, Supreme Court, Congress, Facts First. A look at the same page on Fox's website shows topics that appeal to conservatives - Seattle, Coronavirus, and Joe Biden.
Specifically, both sites value topics designed to bring anger or dissent to their viewers about their opposition so that they stay put and do not "jump the ship." Personally, I believe this is unethical. It deliberately caters to a mainstream media system built on the back of selling information as entertainment with the primary intent of division. That extends even further to their telecasts.
To the naked eye, Fox NEWS and CNN - Cable NEWS Network should supply "news" to the viewer. However, the simple fact of the matter is that most of the hosts on both platforms are not reporters or even journalists - they are commentators. It is not their job to tell the news as it is, but to take bits and pieces of factual information and commentate on them. While this is in no violation of freedom of speech, and I do not think censorship is healthy, a constant visual stimulus assaults the viewers on both sides in the corner of the screen, Cable News Network, and Fox News. I view this as false advertising, as both channels are working towards the accumulation of wealth, not the ethical thought of educating the public.
Fox News has a conservative product for a conservative audience, CNN is the same but for centrists and moderate liberals. But this is the point where free speech and ethical journalism meet a standstill. Even just looking at their home pages, both Fox and CNN choose to focus not necessarily on misinformation, but on partial information.
A look at CNN's political homepage shows in its "hot topics" section things that liberal readers and viewers would value - Donald Trump, Supreme Court, Congress, Facts First. A look at the same page on Fox's website shows topics that appeal to conservatives - Seattle, Coronavirus, and Joe Biden.
Specifically, both sites value topics designed to bring anger or dissent to their viewers about their opposition so that they stay put and do not "jump the ship." Personally, I believe this is unethical. It deliberately caters to a mainstream media system built on the back of selling information as entertainment with the primary intent of division. That extends even further to their telecasts.
To the naked eye, Fox NEWS and CNN - Cable NEWS Network should supply "news" to the viewer. However, the simple fact of the matter is that most of the hosts on both platforms are not reporters or even journalists - they are commentators. It is not their job to tell the news as it is, but to take bits and pieces of factual information and commentate on them. While this is in no violation of freedom of speech, and I do not think censorship is healthy, a constant visual stimulus assaults the viewers on both sides in the corner of the screen, Cable News Network, and Fox News. I view this as false advertising, as both channels are working towards the accumulation of wealth, not the ethical thought of educating the public.
Two drastically different approaches to coverage on the same topic from CNN and Fox.
So, How Does One Solve This Without Limiting Freedom?
This is where this whole situation gets tricky. Due to the fact that America is a capitalist free country, or at least pseudo-capitalist, as many of America's ideals are rooted in socialism, it is both unethical and a violation of freedom to censor these half truthers. In addition, censorship of the people by a higher power is unethical and against the very roots of American fundamentalism.
As such, I believe general education of the public should be done to a larger scale so that they are able to cross-reference what they are told. CNN and Fox will both provide one with their own take on an event, but they will seldom speak negatively of any viewpoint their audience will be upset about. They are both corporations with bottom lines to meet and profits to accumulate, after all.
This is why going the extra step to being an informed citizen is absolutely vital. While truly unbiased media is nearly impossible to find, the freedom of the press we have actually helps to nurture a thriving media system where, if you are willing to put the time and effort into it, you will be able to see multiple sides, viewpoints and takes that help to create a big picture that many other countries simply do not have the freedom to do. I call this "freedom of information," and I view it as a vital component of truly being an American. As many people view voting as a civil responsibility, I view unbiased media intake as one, perhaps even more important.
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