Homework Help: English: Writing: The Media

1. How is information disseminated in our society?

There are two main ways that information is spread within a society, either through the media, or through personal experiences retold to/from others.

The media, including television, radio, video, magazines, books, advertisement, and the cinema play the biggest roles, in modern society, and can disseminate large amounts of information easily.

People buy newspapers to consolidate their expectations, so the style of newspaper is catered for specific audiences, and this effects the style of writing, and the information included.

2. How reliable are these sources?

When we read the newspaper, or watch the news, we generally blindly accept that what we have been told is the truth. However, the people who decide what news items are to be covered are really 'shaping' the information for us, and often sensationalizing it. They select and edit the items making decisions about relevance, importance, popularity, and values.

3. Which 'fonts of wisdom' aspire to do more than disseminate information?

Many forms of the media do much more than just disseminating information, as, the influence they have on our thought, attitudes and behavior should not be underestimated.

The media, in general, is one of the most pervasive and persuasive phenomenons of the twentieth century. Many things have a hidden content, and the stories uphold stereotypes which are certainly not the primary message of the piece.

For tabloid newspapers like the Herald Sun or the Age, a news headline can mean "Clinton's holiday to Mystique" rather than "Famine in Mozambique". And the Herald Sun will put a different interpretation on events than the Age. What the Age calls a 'demonstration; the Herald Sun may call a 'riot'. Sometimes 'newspapers' are known to create stories where none exist. This has been demonstrated by the recent Jeff Kennett court case.

In newspapers, the letters to the editor and opinion segment, have supposedly not been changed, and carry the exact words that the contributor had intended. However, often this is not the case, as the newspapers will only publish selected opinions, and then, even those are changed to fit to style. From having pieces of my own writing published in the Age, I know that they continually edit the articles, and add in extra paragraphs to sensationalize certain events, and when the piece is finally published, it is very different from how the writer was initially expecting.

4. Who do you go to for information/knowledge/wisdom and help?

When I am needing information, I generally will look either in books, the newspaper, or the Internet, depending on what is needed. With the recent popularization of computers, the Internet is becoming rapidly becoming a large source for the public to find our information on a certain issue, with views from all sides.

From knowledge and insight into a particular situation, the newspapers are an easily accessible source, which convey a large range of well thought out opinions on current issues. However, often this information has been manipulated by the newspaper, and we are only told what they would like us to know. Again, by looking up this information on the Internet, it is possible to gain a wider opinion of the situation, with information from all around the world, which has not been changed to fit into certain stereotypes.

5. How are we being positioned by the media?

In Australia, all newspapers and television stations are in private hands (except the ABC), so they don't belong to the government. However, most of these, especially the newspapers, will have a particular preference for the political parties, and therefore will manipulate the audience in some kind of way.

Rupert Murdoch, who has a monopoly on much of the media, is one of the richest men in the world and it is likely that he would not want to change a system of government that has made him so wealthy. So, his newspapers will reflect this position. The reports in his newspapers may be very different from those of other organizations.

If by 'disseminate information' we mean an accurate and totally unbiased, comprehensive, and objectively presented version of events, then we will never find perfection in the media. The closest we can get is the editorial section of the newspaper, but even this has a purpose to give a desired opinion or suggestion.

Homework Help: English: Writing

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