Don't Let the Media Decide in '08
With the next Presidential Election only days away, most of us would consider ourselves aware and up to date on the important issues. We think we know enough about the state of the economy, candidate’s tax plans, and the war. We can recall countless stories about Palin’s wardrobe, Biden’s gaffe’s, Obama’s questionable friends, and McCain’s buddy, Joe the plumber. In picking the next leader of the most powerful country in the world, can this really be all the issues we should be thinking about?
With a 24 hour news cycle and the public’s demand for more entertainment in their news, its no wonder trivial topic have dominated this year’s election. Few people could tell that the next president may have the chance to choose three Supreme Court justices. This is a huge responsibility, not to mention a decision that could affect the country for year and years to come. Remember Supreme Court Justices serve life terms. The longest serving justice served nearly 37 years. That means our future president could make a decision that will affect our judicial system for decades, but no one is giving this issue any attention. Can anyone tell me where the two candidates stand on the issue of judicial nominations? Probable not, but Barack Obama and John McCain have very different views on the issue.
Of course the selection of Supreme Court Justices is not the only issue being over looked by the media this year. What about illegal immigration, trade and globalization, the debate over a missile defense system, or even abortion? These issues have been forgotten because the media determined the public was not interested, but they are all important issues that could play a major role in our future.
The problem with media coverage stems from the Agenda Setting function of the media. As discussed in class, the media does not tell us what to think, but tell us what to think about. When the public allows the media to have this power, the media can then determine the most important issue of the election. For example, the media has reported constantly about the state of Wall Street and the economy. John McCain openly admitted the economy was not his strongest suit. Therefore, Barack Obama gains an advantage as the candidate with more knowledge on the economy. What if, however, foreign relations were playing a bigger role or if missile defense was as important as it was in the Reagan years? The more experienced candidate on this issue would obviously be John McCain. The election could look very different if it were not for the media deciding the important issues.
While the media is the major culprit in this mess, they are not the only guilty party. The American public is also responsible. It was the public’s demand for entertainment that led to such sensationalism in news coverage. Now, Americans must make it a point to inform themselves on the important issues. It is going to take more work than just turning on the TV and watching broadcast news. To understand the true issues Americans must dig deep by listening to all sides, get information from numerous news outlets, and determine the important issues for themselves.
With a 24 hour news cycle and the public’s demand for more entertainment in their news, its no wonder trivial topic have dominated this year’s election. Few people could tell that the next president may have the chance to choose three Supreme Court justices. This is a huge responsibility, not to mention a decision that could affect the country for year and years to come. Remember Supreme Court Justices serve life terms. The longest serving justice served nearly 37 years. That means our future president could make a decision that will affect our judicial system for decades, but no one is giving this issue any attention. Can anyone tell me where the two candidates stand on the issue of judicial nominations? Probable not, but Barack Obama and John McCain have very different views on the issue.
Of course the selection of Supreme Court Justices is not the only issue being over looked by the media this year. What about illegal immigration, trade and globalization, the debate over a missile defense system, or even abortion? These issues have been forgotten because the media determined the public was not interested, but they are all important issues that could play a major role in our future.
The problem with media coverage stems from the Agenda Setting function of the media. As discussed in class, the media does not tell us what to think, but tell us what to think about. When the public allows the media to have this power, the media can then determine the most important issue of the election. For example, the media has reported constantly about the state of Wall Street and the economy. John McCain openly admitted the economy was not his strongest suit. Therefore, Barack Obama gains an advantage as the candidate with more knowledge on the economy. What if, however, foreign relations were playing a bigger role or if missile defense was as important as it was in the Reagan years? The more experienced candidate on this issue would obviously be John McCain. The election could look very different if it were not for the media deciding the important issues.
While the media is the major culprit in this mess, they are not the only guilty party. The American public is also responsible. It was the public’s demand for entertainment that led to such sensationalism in news coverage. Now, Americans must make it a point to inform themselves on the important issues. It is going to take more work than just turning on the TV and watching broadcast news. To understand the true issues Americans must dig deep by listening to all sides, get information from numerous news outlets, and determine the important issues for themselves.
posted by Erin Horvath | 10:04 AM
4 Comments:
I agree that the public should pay attention to more than just the major issues set forth by the media. After all, when many of these "smaller" issues are strung together, they build up to create everything that holds up what America stands for. If these issues are ignored, these little issues left unattended could create an even bigger problem in American society.
I also agree that the public needs to pay attention to the smaller issues and not just the large issues that the media focuses on. Even though journalists strive to be as objective as possible, their opinion is still present because they have to select the ideas and issues they want to focus on. Voters need to realize that many of these small issues can eventually affect them in some way, shape, or form, and there are many small issues that people don't even know are out there because they only know about the ones in the media. It's almost impossible to stray from the issues the media talks about because media is everywhere, however, it's up to the voter to do his or her own homework. Americans need to spend more of their time reading directly from the candidates' websites and direct mailings so they get the core of the issues and not all the extra fluff added by the media.
This post as well as our discussion in class regarding agenda setting and the magic bullet theory brought to mind the person on the street interviews where citizens are asked what issues are important to them and each one responds the same way and almost in the same order...this year it seems every willing participant from joe six pack to the hockey moms rattle off, "the economy, healthcare, and the war in Iraq..." Ok to be fair these are big important issues but I wish someone would get up there and really say what issues take the cake instead of regurgitating what CNN tells them is important. I mean really is an 18 year old middle-class kid from the burbs really concerned with healthcare? I suppose I get frustrated because I think...Hey this is your opportunity, your one chance to be heard!' even if the Obama camp doesn't turn around and start running 30 minute ads about immigration or stem cell research at least you can sleep knowing you have exercised your democratic duty! oh well economy and health care it is....
I completely agree. So much media and public attention has been shifted away from the important issues that will be affecting our economy for the next four years. As you mentioned, even when we begin talking about the serious issues, we fail to take a deeper look into them by noting both Senator McCain and Senator Obama's strengths and simply believing that because a candidate is better in one area in the other, he will in turn be a better president. The public has accepted this and therefore, we have stopped pushing the issues and are choosing to focus on the entertainment side of it all, by discussing the less important issues of this campaign from the infamous terms of the McCain/Palin campaign to the gaffes that the Obama/Biden campaign. In a time of recession and war in America, both the media and the public really need to shift their attention back to Senator McCain and Senator Obama. We must go beyond the surface in choosing our next president to a real and more informed understanding of these two men and how their decisions will shape the future of America.
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