Becoming a critical viewer: looking at a news show through a lens essay sample

Introduction

Simply put, media is any communication that is disseminated to the broadcast by means of news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages. There are varied forms of media in the modern dispensation. The different forms of media include broadcasting medium such as radio, newspapers, magazines, television, billboards, telephone, direct mail, fax, and Internet. Television, radio and newspapers are traditional forms of media and are, therefore, referred to us mainstreams broadcasting platforms. The presiding purpose of the media is to influence the public concerning different issues in the society. Different forms of media model and inform the basis over which people make decisions. In essence, media platforms are used for the purpose of convincing the public to buy products and services or different ideologies. Although the media and news have played an intrinsic role in terms being the people’s watchdog, it seems the media and the news have lost sight of its purpose to provide citizens with information to make life-changing decisions.
The main purpose of the media is to provide information to the public in terms of articulating various opinions or points of view, educating audiences through content analysis and provision of factual information (Community Knowledge Guide, 1). However, the media seems to have lost track of theses inherent responsibilities. The media in the modern dispensation trivializes issues to the extent that it becomes difficult for the public to make some informed decisions. The media has today lost focus in informing the public to the extent that they are more subjective than objective. The media should provide information that helps the citizenry make decisions in life, community affairs and governmental issues (American Press Institute, 1).
Though most of the news bulletins have some critical information helpful to the people, some of them lack merit. For instance, the documentary on CBS Orwell Rolls in His Grave observed some meritocracy though not all the time is there such informative scripts. Media houses fail to dissect the information carried to viewers, especially as it regards politics (The Business Dictionary, 1). The resulting factor is always an illusion of diversity that creates the delusion for people hence wrong decision making. Different television channels provide almost similar ideas and issues to the extent that it becomes difficult for proper decision-making, as there are no proper options given. For instance, during elections, every single media station provides similar results with nothing new to report. Objectivity is lost to a greater extent and the audiences have nothing new to inform the people about.
One aspect of the news that is critical is that the news avoids important issues and exaggerates the irrelevant ones. For instance, child abuse issues are not given much airtime while political squabbles and personality issues are given prominence. The public requires important news aspects for the purpose of being informed and not exaggerated issues aimed at tantalizing peoples spirits. The information guide the citizenry in decision making based on life, societal, and governmental issues. The documentary on CBS furthers a notion that the news has various political issues to the extent that news items are filled with political personalities or party affiliations. Politicians take the lead in the ownership of media stations, hence leading to personality orientation news and inadequate objective issues being put into perspective.
The fact that a few people own media stations provide a narrow basis through which criticism can be enhanced. The information dispersed to citizens is the identical and transmitted in different viewpoints, giving the illusion of diversity in the information viewers receive. The Orwell Rolls in His Grave documentary reveals that the information needed to make life decisions are not aired at all. The media and by extension the news are very influential in determining which political leaders are elected by the public. The media is more or less political in its organization in the sense that they have the express rights to determine what goes on air. The media are the custodians of the information that reach the public for informational analysis and scrutiny (Melnsfah211, 1).
A number of news items do not provide information that is helpful to the people. Though the most critical news item is ever the business news, especially the financials, only people who are conversant with the stock issues get to benefit. Investors and business people get the importance of such news items and not the general public. The CBS provides critical news about different issues that are critical. For instance, the news provided news on the abducted Nigerian girls and failed to focus on the pertinent issues that are crucial to the people. People working twice as hard to earn an income that can barely take care of their needs and what is being done to revert this prevalence is a critical issue that should be in the headlines for the purposes of analysis. However, such information does not find the light of the day.
The documentary Orwell Rolls in His Grave has no relationship with the news whatsoever. The documentary is trying to discredit the information transmitted by the media and by extension the news and other mediums such as newspaper, magazine and even the television platforms. The society looks to the media to bring them the truth about issues affecting the community and by extension the livelihoods. What happens in the global arena is also critical information that should be aired to the people. On the other hand, there can be some relationship between the two because if the media takes the allegations and the insinuations from documentary seriously, then the media can start reforming itself (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 1). The media will also be able to rebuff any allegation that is false and start revamping its image to re-establish public trust in the information it disperse.
The makers of the documentary Orwell Rolls in His Grave, furthers the notion that news provides the people with little information and too much frills. News is portrayed as being an entertainment issue other than being informative and substantial to the citizens who require information to make good judgments about various matters. The documentary focuses on the bottom line of the company, thereby emitting news based on politics as well as demographics. For example, if a state is a natural tornado area, the broadcasting would focus on tornado events, programs related to dealing with the effects of tornadoes that is the essence of news bulletins. While demographics are needed to know what the audience is most interested in, the media need to be aware of the fact that they are still required to broadcast information that is necessary. Information that guides citizens make informed decisions are crucial to the wellbeing of the public.
Stories appearing in the different forms, media have been marred by politics to the extent that they fail to deal with the issues as required. Media houses take into considerations what they are to air in a bid to remain politically relevant or avoid being controversial (Understand Media, 1). Little consideration is given to the news that informs the public. To this end, it can be verified that various media entities have failed in their moral duty of informing the public and providing the necessary tools critical for decision-making. The media has become a platform for swaying voters to different political inclinations. In essence, the media fails to analyze to political manifestos of the political parties hence the people lack the moral objectivity in decision-making.
Though the media has lost focus to a great extent in terms of being the public’s watchdog, it cannot be condemned wholesale in so far as exercising the duties are concerned. The CBS documentary Orwell Rolls in His Grave is testimony that all is not lost in the media’s moral responsibility. The media dispenses comprehensive information even though the main information ends up lost or tangled in the web of trivial news. Big media houses have the responsibility to offer diversity in the information given to the public to help the people make decisions based on the choices provided.

Conclusion

The media has in the past been a critical tool for providing information to the people based on critical aspects of the society. In essence, the media has been very intrinsic in modeling the thoughts and belief system of people to the extent that sound decisions have been made from such points of view. However, of late the media has failed in its mandate to inform the people as appropriate to the extent that many people have ended have been misled as the information from the news items are not as informative. Media stations have lost touch with the reality concerning what is important to the people. To this extent, it can be noted the media and the news seems to have lost sight of its purpose to provide citizens with information to make life-changing decisions.

Works Cited:

Community Knowledge Guide. “ Activity 2: Four Main Purposes of Media”. Media and Technology. nd Web. 12 May 2014. Retrieved from:
Kovach, C and Rosenstiel, T. “ What is the purpose of journalism?” What is Journalism? The American Press Institute. 2014. Retrieved from:
Melnsfah211. ” Purpose of News in American Society” StudyMode. November 2012. Web. 14 May. 2014 .
The Business Dictionary. “ Media”. nd Web. 14 May 2014. Retrieved from:
The Free Dictionary. “ News”. Farlex. nd Web. 14 May2014

Understand Media. “ The purpose of the media”. Why does the media exist? Learn about the intentions behind thecreation of most media messages. 2013. Web. 14 may2014