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Influence of the media on politics
Arguments on media bias
Mass media effects on electoral process
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Media Bias and Concentration
After witnessing a hotly contested election and the massive amounts of campaigning done by both parties in effort to inform the public and reach as many voters as possible, one question still remains poignant: Where do we get our information? The myriad landscape that is the media today, can be accessed from almost anywhere, and has, in many ways, entrenched itself in American culture, replacing what used to be standard outlets of information. Television and print news have long dominated the average American household in terms of being used to access information, but new outlets, like the internet and film have grown into major ways in which people learn about what is happening in the world. The emergence of so many varied sources of information, however, and the ever-growing accessibility of unchecked information raises a different question; not so much the source of our information but rather, what is the quality of the information we are getting? Mass media has long had an influence on society and an in depth look at its most popular forms today would most definitely reveal several glaring inequities in the way TV networks, print media, and internet websites communicate information. Many media sources are slanted, one way or another, in their views and coverage of people and events. Everette Dennis once stated that objectivity is what sets apart American mass media from the rest of the world and is one of the most important precepts of American journalism (103). In present times, however, media that provides completely impartial analysis of the facts is either hard to find, or deemed incredible. The fact of the matter is that in a large portion of mass media outlets what is best described as obj...
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Population Explosion InternetNews. 2 Dec. 2004
As we look back on Babe Ruth, it is easy to see why he was such a well known man; he was very good at what he did. Ruth weighed in at an average of about 40 or more homers every season of his eleven seasons playing baseball. In total, he scored a total of 714 home runs. Although he did play for the Boston Red Sox for
Vonnegut crafts the dystopian message of society being controlled by the people and the government within Harrison Bergeron through the use of irony and other different details and languages. First of all, during the beginning of the short story, equality was achieved due to the 211th - 213th amendments made to the Constitution. This made it so handicaps were introduced to those who had a natural advantage over those who were considered inferior. The first note of irony is introduced by the main character named Hazel. While conversing with her husband, a man named George, she objects that if she were the Handicapper General, she would do a good job at being one. However, due to equality being reached, the irony is seen by the perceived confidence
According to James Madison, “nothing could be more irrational than to give the people power and to withhold from them information, without which power is abused,” suggesting that the people have the right to learn popular information and learn both sides of an issue (Paul and Elder 2). However, in modern society, the media often do not present both sides of an issue and are inclined to often mask information for their personal benefits. Therefore, the people often learn and understand only one aspect of an issue and inevitably lean towards the bias present in that news account. Indubitably, the coverage in the mainstream news media influences the majority through its bias and propaganda, especially its partisan audience, which only appreciates one side of the news story. Thus, even though news networks may claim that their news programs and publications are completely factual and credible, their coverage of news events is politically, commercially, and racially biased.
Harrison Bergeron is a futuristic story based on the idea that equality is not as ideal as it seems. Harrison Bergeron centers around a time in America where everyone is made “handicapped” or equal. So the strong are made weakened using weight bags, the beautiful have to wear masks or are disfigured and the smart have to wear transmitters to disrupt their thinking process. Throughout the story the government shows their extreme power achieved through the total equality.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to live in a dystopian society where everyone is equal in every possible way? In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, Harrison Bergeron, he delves into a world where the idea of egalitarianism has become reality for the United States in 2081. The 211th, 212th, 213th Amendments to the Constitution enforce a type of equality where no one is stronger, more intelligent, or more beautiful than another. Everyone is equal in every which way. All of this is done with the help of the United States Handicapper General, who makes sure everyone is kept strictly equal. But Harrison Bergeron, the seven-foot tall, powerful, and unbelievably handsome jail escapee, is having none of this. He dares to fight this so-called “equality.” In this fantastical yet darkly humorous short story, Vonnegut uses Harrison Bergeron to represent the dangers of total equality.
There are times in life that people let society influence most of their life choices. How to dress, how to act, what to like, who to follow. Harrison Bergeron shows how it is not a good thing to try and be the same as other people and be controlled by an outside force like society or the government. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s story “Harrison Bergeron” tells a story through a marxist lens of a society that has been set equal in every way but one of their convicts who is a unique specimen escapes prison and uses his few minutes on television to shine hope hidden in the people’s fears and to do a performance that ends tragically. Vonnegut did not just write the story for everyone, there was an intended target for sure.
Kurt Vonnegut’s story, Harrison Bergeron, gives a glimpse of the future in our nation as a dystopia. George and Hazel Bergeron live in a society that has reached “total equality.” The government has total control and has placed handicaps on people who would otherwise be above average. Harrison Bergeron, an oppressed genius, wants to change the current conditions of the country because he sees that they are not “truly” equal. Vonnegut reveals the downsides of having a truly equal society and displays the effects that word choice can have on an audience’s perception of a story. Vonnegut’s use of word choice and character development furthers and gives the audience a better grasp of the story.
“They were equal in every which way” (Vonnegut Jr.), and their uniformity and lack of perspective made them feel blissful in such an oppressive culture. The lack of individuality illustrated prevents people from knowing what would be considered different. As people’s civil rights are slowly taken away, their ignorance deepens, along with their inability to think or act radically. Living in this handicapped society assures no memories, and thus, no sorrow. The absence of liberty and the inability to assess life’s circumstances makes the people happy to live in such a society. They do not know what freedom is and therefore, they only desire the lifestyle that they know and live, day to day. Just as people are oppressed, but happily live in ignorance, in “Harrison Bergeron,” the same setting appears in V for
Through manipulation and lies, media manages to modify objective news into biased news in order to convince the public of what the media wants them to believe. The article, “How the Media Twist the News”, by Sheila Gribben Liaugminas discusses the major influence that news has on readers based on their choice of stories and words. “How the Media Twists the News” has borrowed from multiple other texts such as the books like Public Opinion and Liberty and News, news magazine writers such as Ruderman, and news networks like CBS through Bias, A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News and CNN to make her arguments valid and prove that the news is biased and that it does influence readers significantly because of it.
People have different opinions on what needs to be done for order to be kept in society. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. shows two different themes in his book, “Harrison Bergeron”. In his book, the handicapper general forces everyone to be equal by giving superior people handicaps. The author shows in his writing that being superior is unfair and people must remain equal for order to be kept. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. also shows that fear can make people do bad and hurtful things.
Media plays an important and powerful part in America. There are many different types of ways that the media can be biased. Below I will talk about different way the media is biased and explain how each of them can be possible. There are a lot of American that consult their television sets for the news daily. They come up with opinions on certain issues based on what they've saw, heard, and read in the media, such as the news on TV, radio, and newspapers they have read. The roles in the political affairs in the media are really vital: They have the advantage to make or break a person that is going for what they want to win. They can criticize a running applicant or make them popular. The news media networks affect the people watching the news
The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...
2) The public today holds a low esteem for our “news media” because most of the news information is biased. There are primarily two elements of news reporting. The first one is the actual news and the second one is the opinions from media experts which is designed to provoke and persuade. According to the “Media Literacy Project”, media is a business that thrives on money from corporations for advertising their products. Like any other business, to sustain profitability it has to please the sponsors, and so its content is influenced to a great extent by these sponsoring organizations. News organizations may shy away from negative stories about corporations because of this binding. Such tie ups with pharmaceutical companies and health organizations
The elimination of media bias is pretty much impossible due to the fact that large corporations head the media, and the heads of most large corporations are white men, but by the implementation of certain strategies it would be a move in the right direction. Media bias is a problem, though it may not be blatant, it is serious because it could be helping to form people?s beliefs about others. People are scared of the unknown, and by giving them a certain portrayal of someone they have had no interaction with; it can have detrimental effects. Who knows actually what impact media bias has had on the nation as a whole. How do we know whether or not media bias has made an individual not get or even lose a job? How do we know how many friendships media bias has stopped from even being initiated? Hopefully one day we will be able to recognize what media bias is, only then will we be able to begin the process of fighting to put an end to it. Only then will we be able to create a fair, unbiased media that is diverse and one that encompasses the ideas of an ideal media.
In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.