The Hidden Agenda of the News Media

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The Hidden Agenda of the News Media

People use many different sources in order to gain knowledge about current events. In America, historically, mass media and television have been the most dominant sources for information. Over the last decade, internet-based news sites and talk-radio shows have emerged as viable alternatives to the traditional media. While, obviously, the latest forms of news media are very different from their “elder” counterparts regarding the conveyance of the information, they share some of the same issues regarding the reporting of the news. News coverage can be, and usually is, influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: personal political ideology, religion, culture, and economics. The “inner” influences of political ideology, cultural values, and religion are not limited to the writer or reporter of a story. Editors, managers, and owners are also subjected to these pressures, in addition to the need to turn a profit, and, therefore, also influence the reporting of the news. Because of these influences, the final product is rarely an objective reporting of the facts. News sources convey their subjectivity, sometimes subtly, other times blatantly, through many methods. Listeners, readers, and viewers of all media should consume all information with a grain of salt.

The goal of this paper is to take one single news topic, somehow related to the United States, and see how it is treated, or “spun”, by two different foreign news sources. Although I could have chosen a topic related to the American presence in the Middle East, I chose instead to look for a topic that might be treated with subtle subjectivity: the cancellation of three of pop star Madonna’s concerts in Israe...

... middle of paper ...

...ans. On the other hand, the Arutz SHEVA story is blatantly subjective, almost to the point of becoming propaganda. Freund’s attempt to link the Palestinian Authority to terrorist threats is very apparent, and considering the information found on the Opinion page, it is obvious why. Arutz SHEVA appears to be written by religious conservatives and nationalists, and intended for an audience of the same mindset. Both, the Arutz SHEVA article and, to a lesser extent, the AP story, are examples of how terms, phrases, and emphasis can be used to “spin” a news topic to convey your message. My analysis of these two stories supports the argument for consumers to take all information with a grain of salt.

Works Cited

The Straits Times, http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,252771-230000,00.html?

Arutz SHEVA, http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=62927

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