2007 was the year of sensational news journalism. Paris Hilton glamorized the institution of incarceration, Anna Nicole Smith died tragically fitting the prototype of Hollywood beauties gone too soon, and Britney Spears suffered several personal crises publicly. Unbeknownst to many, a Haitian mother was sodomized in her Florida apartment while her bloodied son watched helplessly. The latter news story lacked standard coverage in mainstream news media.
Sensational journalism and the over saturation of celebrity news stories constitute the current state of news media. There is a serious absence of reporting news that appeals to consumption and not humanity. Consumption news is ranting about what color dress Beyonce wore to the MTV Awards. What does the color of her dress have to do with the staggering statistics of homeless people in America? The two issues are severely irrelevant to one another but the latter issue is one that needs deep consideration.
Should accountability play a complex factor in the dissemination of news? Yes, frankly our journalists should be held accountable for what they sprinkle into the “aquariums” of our minds. Despite all of the experience and journalism school, some journalists do not realize the full potential and power of their words. Journalism is first and foremost a forum which challenges public opinion created by the people and supplements those opinions with truth. News media has a social responsibility to critically journal issues and events in the world. Journalists bear the responsibility to report news as ethical as possible. A tide is rippling across newsrooms all across the country. News stories are manufactured to excel their profitability for their respective news outlets. Shouldn’t the public have a voice in this? Yes, we should and it is time.
Citizens of our current society digest media content at face value; hence, there is a lack of discerning consumer and audience participation. Journalistic integrity is questionable because there is no one to hold news professionals accountable. In this breakdown of communication, the will to actively chronicle living history is lost.
Ageism is alive and well in the world of news media. Whether it is entertainment news or local news, journalists are switched out on an on-going basis. The newsrooms across the globe are getting younger and younger. There are hungry media professionals fresh from journalism school who are willing to be scapegoats for media outlets.
It is true; news media is not what is used to be in the days of Edward Murrow and Walter Cronkite. News professionals do not carry the “voice of God” anymore. Hence, they do not have the ability to bring critical issues to viewers that concerns their well-being. News professionals now have to compete with the products of media convergence, hence, on-line content and citizen journalism. Nothing separates news professionals and citizen bloggers, perhaps a college degree in journalism and sanctions from an actual media organization. Seasoned news professionals who attend college for a medium that is slowly dying are taken for granted.
It is amazing that so much of our media is owned by conglomerates. This type of ownership is puts a stronghold on media. The information we consume will be force fed to us by corporations who are in the business for money. These corporations are not concerned with the responsibility journalism brings to the citizens of this country and the world.
Be a discerning media consumer. Do not get caught in the hype. Everything that happens in the spotlight happens for a reason and most of the time it is to drive sales of something. Be open, be vocal, and be seen.