Bamboozled by the Mass Media

With technology being what it is today, almost everyone in America has access to the media. Whether it be the internet, television, newspapers, or the radio, no one can deny that it is there for the taking. But with all of this access to the media, are we actually getting information or infotainment? Millions tune into the major news networks everyday to watch the news. But really, are they tuning in to get information or infotainment?

The media industry whether we like it or not is a business. They deliver a “product” in order to make money, and appeal to what the people want to gain more revenue. Any business school will tell their students “give the people what they want”. Well, the media obviously listened in business school because they are doing exactly that. But the main problem here is that while in the process of giving people what they want, they have created diminished, mindless news.

People today aren’t as eager for information as they once were. That might sound like a far fetched statement seeing that there are many different kinds of news out there and news watchers have actually increased. But if you actually think about it, once people watch the news and hear a piece of information (or if you want to call it that), they just accept it and move on with their life. Very few people actually hear a piece of information, question it and then go check it out. They don’t care what the truth is or what is actually going on in the world, they just want to be entertained, that all.

As mentioned earlier, there are many different news sources for the American citizen. All this does is create competition in the media business. More competition means you gotta be the best to succeed. How does the media do this? Simple, they try to get the story faster and more appealing to their viewers. It doesn’t matter if the story is true, it’s fast, it’s late-breaking. All this does is feed into the mindless news that people today need like a hole in the head. What’s media if they deliver false news? Forgive me if I’m wrong but I thought the news was supposed to be information on what’s going on into the world. Not rumors that make for good headlines.

Many would argue that false news is better than no news. I would disagree entirely. I would rather know I’m being lied to and find the truth myself, rather than believe a lie. This could lead down a dangerous road if the media is not careful.

Since I’m already on a media rampage, I’ll tell you something else that really gets my goat about the Media and their “service” to the American people. Yea the media today doesn’t care about getting the information correct, true. But sometimes I’ll turn on the television and see Brittney Spears headlines on every channel, even the major news channels like CNN and Fox. I’ll then look at the newspapers and see the same thing. Then I’ll turn to the back page, or read the subheadings and see that North Korea has nuclear weapons. Holy Crap, when did Brittney Spears become more important than nuclear weapons? Again this feeds back into what the people want. The majority of people crave gossip and scandal and do not really care about the news. But in a democracy majority rules. This mindless television has created a huge disservice to us as a nation, and the people who actually care about information, accurate information to be more precise.

So what’s the use anymore? I love the news, I love knowing what’s going on in the world, but if it is almost impossible to get accurate worthwhile information, what do we do? The American people need to recognize the fact that we are being bamboozled here. We get false information because the media doesn’t think we are intelligent enough to realize we are being lied to. When they don’t have anything else to lie about, they add in a scandal, or celebrity break-up. This doesn’t sound like service to me people, I want my money back.