‘To what extent does modern media coverage and censorship of conflicts affect how people interpret them?
Modern media coverage - the main means of mass communication - gives us news from around the globe, allowing us to develop an informed understanding of the world and its issues. Armed Conflict and tension between the world’s countries has only become more vehement, which has lead to an onslaught of media coverage, orchestrated by countries on either side of the conflicts, as well as countries that are regarded as outsiders. Information about these conflicts can be propagated by a myriad of different sources, which often besmirch its reliability by having a subjective stance. The biased viewpoints of this type of coverage can influence
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Conjointly, ongoing conflicts such as the war on terror and the Syrian civil war as well as the crisis in Crimea have attracted an ample amount of media attention, which has all the more effect on people’s perceptions of these conflicts because of the severe vigor of the media in this day and age.
Global perspective: Finland
Finland is first on 2014’s index of Press freedom, and has topped this list for four years straight. In terms of Internet penetration, Finland is 10th in the world, with 88.6% of their population currently using the Internet. Finland, unlike the United States, does not have a substantial part to play in international conflict. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland states that it ‘Participates in international military cooperation in the framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace and provides troops for NATO-led crisis management operations in, for example, Western Balkans and Afghanistan.” Finland currently has only deployed 176 troops to engage in armed conflict in Afghanistan and assist the International Security Assistance Force - ISAF. Since Finland is not as active in international relations and conflicts as countries like The Big Five (USA, UK, France, Russia, China), it has less things to consider regarding the distribution of information that could potentially infringe upon the security of the country and population. Unlike China, Finland does not have an extremely large population, meaning that
As an academic, one becomes increasingly aware of the biases in others’ writing. It becomes engrained - to dissect the author’s worldview and biases in order to best determine how those things are affecting their writing. This dissection is all the more important when it comes to journalism. In current times, it is not just the academics that are concerned about biases. The average populous has become increasingly aware that the information that mass media attempts to feed them can be biased beyond belief. The coverage of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail showcases the differences in how a singular event can be reported in very different ways beautifully.
Firstly, the “war on terror” had reduced the humanitarian concerns down, and the foreign policy. Furthermore, media coverage had become more deferential and constrained: therefore, reducing the chances of media influencing policy. The “war on terror” most importantly provided journalists with a guide in which they could understand global events and policy makers with the ability to justify a more aggressive foreign policy plan. At last, the “war on terror” had constructed an ideological bond between journalist and policy makers which created stronger media management. Techniques developed to display coverage of certain issues over others to frame stories that support official
Now a days people run to media for answers on current events and expect information to be accurate, but yet do the people know that almost all media news reports are bias. Often times people run to news channels that give out information they want to hear based off the media’s beliefs. The media has always been bias, but it wasn’t until certain events occurred that opened society’s eyes. There are six powerhouse news sources that all have their own type of bias which points out their own perspective on current events. When it comes to current events, different media platforms represent the story from different perspectives. Viewers want their views to be validated rather than challenged and don’t give ideas of what people should do. Although
James Truslow Adams, in his book The Epic of America, stated that the American dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (The American Dream: What Is The American Dream?). A man who embodies this template is legendary boxer Cassius Clay more formerly recognized as Muhammad Ali. One is left questioning what differentiates Ali from all the other boxing greats? However, upon analyzing Ali’s life it is clear that he transcended the sport of boxing.
The methods that people nowadays use to get news of any kind, whether it be sports, weather, or global, have changed drastically from the time where news was only available through newspapers and radio stations. Regarding terrorism, the media is the only source of information, unless it is a primary account of a soldier who had been at war. However, the media is able to manipulate any story to make someone or something either look good or bad. This is exactly what happened after the occurrence of 9/11. The media, along with the government, caught the wave of nationalism sweeping across the country and built news stories favoring America. For example, not many people talk about how the American government in 1990, intervened in the Middle East after Iraq invaded Kuwait, which could be a possible cause for the attacks of 9/11. This event and many other instances of American intervention in the Middle East have been swept under the rug by the U.S. government through the media. These incidences were all put forth as necessary steps to protect “our” best interests in the region. John Steinbrink, a professor of education and Jeremy Cook, a doctoral candidate at Oklahoma State University, used the media’s coverage of the aftermath of 9/11 as an example for education in media literacy, which is “the ability to read, understand, and interpret the influence of all forms of media in one’s life” (284). Using
News has spread around through different means and has rapidly evolved in just the past few hundred years, from newspapers, to news channels, and now also through online media. The purpose of these news outlets is to inform the population on current events locally and internationally. Many people feel as if the news does a good job in captivating audiences and influencing them, but wonder if they are actually reporting the news accurately. In their article, “Pictures in Our Heads,” Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson thought the same, and made statements stating that the media does effectively influence the population and insinuating that the media does not always portray their coverage accurately; this
Bias holds a prominent role through all of history, affecting the way in which certain things are presented to the public. The careful planning of how to display certain occurrences, and heavy bias from both sides plays an important role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When acts of violence take place in this part of the world, shortly after they happen, two very different reports
The media controls many thoughts and facts given to the public that may or may not be true. With the Internet at fingertips across the world, news spreads faster with little evidence provided. Over the last century, the world’s speed increased with news inventions such as cars, electronics, and the Internet. Society’s mindset transformed from hard working to free handouts; therefore, when news sources make a statement, humankind believes it without researching the topic at all. Sometimes, news reporters make legitimate statements that are misinterpreted by readers. The words of the writer are at fault for perspective or understanding of news rather than the interpretation the readers obtain.
The news coverage of war has been of particular relevance to media and communication researchers.This interest is due to the violence in wars, its importance to the people, the vast amount of finance, men and equipment poured into it. The study of media and war has spurred a contention on the role of the objectivity during a conflict. For a journalist covering a war, the ideal should be, according to Howard Tumber in Handbook of Journalism states that ‘The accepted norm for individual reporters, based on their professional values is that they should adopt a neutral role in reporting conflict, avoiding bias and striving
News media is supposed to serve the purpose of informing their listeners of current and upcoming events that affect the audience. Very few viewers actually take into account how valid these news reports actually are. More or less, the news is accept. The same could be said about any news releases on war. However, in the documentary, “War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death” the narrator speaks to the audience about how the media such as news reporters and presidential speeches influenced Americans to become advocates for the war. Presidents play a large role in propaganda because they showed means of justification for their immoral military actions during these wars. The film discuss several wars in which America contributed in unethical acts.
Introduction: Today, developed societies are fabricated on obtaining information about the current world through multi billion dollar news corporations which can be be accessed from televisions, papers, websites, and radios. Since the general public is accustomed to this manner, these substantial publishers can effortlessly mold the population's beliefs to suit their desired ideals by reporting on news with incorporated propaganda and subjectivity. So when it's becoming perplexingly more difficult to access factual information about current world events, you have to to analyze whether the source your obtaining news from contains any political agendas, subjectivity, or assumptions. If none, the truth can then be founded upon evidence,
In today’s society, remaining connected and knowledgeable of current events and the newest trends is vital to staying ahead in business, education, and social standing. This information is supplied to everyone through the internet, newspapers, television, and radio. One can tune into stations such as CNN, NBC, Fox News, Al-Jazeera, and many others (“SQs of Media Outlets”). In order to meet the needs of viewers, readers, and listeners, the ideal media system would contain accurate, quick information, with a purely impartial view on the facts as they are known. However, this modern media system has not maintained an objective view, pushing opinionated and slanted reporting onto the population in order to create profit and gain customers. The exploitation of information media for personal gain has created a toxic and inaccurate present, constant in today’s society.
In the late 1700's and early 1800's, literature began to show it was changing thanks to the newly formed democracy in America. As is the case with any young government, many different interest groups arose to attempt to mold the government according to their vision of democracy. Washington Irving, a native New Yorker born in 1783, grew up in a world engulfed in these democratic ideals. He grew up to be, as many would grow up in this atmosphere, a political satirist. This satirical nature of Irving's shows up well in "Rip Van Winkle", as he uses historical allusions and symbolic characters to mockingly compare colonial life under British rule to the democracy of the young United States.
We live in a world of technological innovation where mass media is a major part of us today. People make assumptions on what they hear. They do not try to analyze the situation to see who is right and who is wrong, and mass media is the main source of manipulating one's mind. The concept of propaganda has changed over time. Propagandists create ideas stereotypically through the use of propaganda and use media to promote it and target people's minds to have influence on their views towards a certain group of people. These ideas create negative or positive images in the intended audience's minds. However, it is notable that the information is only the one that is exemplified through media and therefore, can be
The media messages are no longer fixated with only one prevailing meaning imposed on by the authoritative figures. (Schirato & Yell, 2000). Now, not only are there multiple angles to analyze and interpret media texts, the sheer volume of different messages transmitted by media forms is astounding. Perhaps even more crucial to this whole analysis is that the public of today has become more knowledgeable, informed and engaging in participation. They are genuinely interested in what is portrayed before them and may even have a personal stake in the many issues which the media disseminates. People have gotten more independent and complex. Consequently, they become more analytical.