Skip to main content

I am writing an essay on why mass media coverage is always negative news. But I am having trouble connecting it to my argument that the media makes...

This subject interests me a great deal, as I teach media studies and we often talk about news coverage. There has been a saying going around for years now with regard to news media coverage, particularly television news: "If it bleeds, it leads." This means that stories featuring violence or other causes of bodily harm (like a tornado) are often the lead stories in a nightly news broadcast.

Because news networks seek to get high ratings, to improve their standing and please their advertisers and shareholders, they're constantly weighing decisions about which stories to emphasize. By focusing on stories that generate fear (on violent crime, for example, or terrorism, or an epidemic like Ebola), the news networks are counting on the fact that viewers want to get as much information as they can to avoid being harmed by the perceived threat. News programs will often have short "teasers" featured earlier in the broadcast schedule to get viewers to tune in; by crafting these teasers to make viewers worried about potential threats, they can insure more people will tune in to watch the news broadcast.


In addition to reporting the story, many news networks also provide analysis and other information, to help viewers feel like they are making an effort to stay informed and, thereby, "safe." If a situation is still unfolding, e.g. a shooting that has an office building on lockdown, then the news producers will also try to have information on giving tips to police, finding out about traffic being rerouted, and also how to get information on people who may be injured. Having this kind of information available during the story with a "ticker" across the bottom of the screen underscores the sense of urgency.


The 24-7 news cycle makes it possible to follow national or international news on a constant basis and get updates when needed. But this means that it is also possible to watch the news non-stop, which psychologists have concluded may be unhealthy for individuals suffering from anxiety or depression disorders. Watching the news can even convince people that they're living in much more dangerous conditions than they actually are; recall the widespread paranoia about Ebola a couple of years ago, when the realistic possibility of contracting the disease for anyone in this country was extremely low.


The film NIGHTCRAWLER starring Jake Gyllenhaal explores the fear-based logic used by television news, particularly the fear of suburban crime outside Los Angeles. It follows a young man who decides he wants to film traffic accidents, shootings and other violent occurrences that take place at night so he can sell his footage to the local news network. The film provides a fascinating look inside a newsroom that is focused on bringing in more viewers using a tactic of generating fear.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...
Post a Comment
Read more