The Pay For View Syndrome The news media is a multibillion-dollar, entertainment business. One of the main objectives of any business venture is to make a profit. You won’t stay in business long if this wasn’t one of your primary goals. In the media industry, advertisement is one of the main sources of revenue. The reach of their venue and the ratings they produce determine the value of their ads. Ratings are determined by how many people view, read or listen to the news; not the accuracy of the information they report. Peace Is Boring Although we all want peace in our lives, the truth is that peace is boring and it doesn’t sell. But on the other hand, people will always gather to watch a fight at school, slow down to view an accident on the highway or turn their attention to people arguing in a mall. Conflict sells and therefore news is often reported with the intention of starting a fight or creating a clash. The more people that are drawn into the fray the higher the media ratings are. Remember the game is to draw the largest crowds possible. Truth is secondary. I am not inferring that anyone in the media lies to create a story (though I am sure that happens some times), what I am saying is that the facts are reported in manner that draws the largest crowd. The media is the boxing ring, the reporters are the commentators, the people they report on are the boxers and we are the pay-for-view audience. Reporters are taught to create conflict. Their goal report the news in such a way that the battle is played out in their medium. For example, have you ever watched ESPN? The interview goes something like this. REPORTER- “Mike, we heard a rumor that you said you think the coach of the opposing team is stupid and you intend to prove it in the game next week. Is that true?” PLAYER- “No sir. I never said that. Coach Smith is a good man.” REPORTER- “Yes, I understand that, but it is true that your team has beaten him the last three times you guys have played. So you would say that he isn’t capable of coming up with a game plan to beat you guys…right? PLAYER- “Well, he hasn’t come up with a plan to beat us yet.” REPORTER- “Do you intend to beat them again this week?” PLAYER- “We always play to win!” HEADLINES- Mikes Says They Will Win…Smith Unable To Out Think Them. The day after the story is released, the same reporter is now interviewing coach Smith. REPORTER-“Mike says you are not intelligent enough to put together a game plan to beat them.” What do you think about Mike and his team?” And the beat goes on…you get the idea. This scenario is not limited to sports. It is the way that almost ALL news is reported. Fighting Words Another reporting strategy is to make something normal seem ridicules. For example if a politician changes their mind about an issue, they label him a “Flip Flopper”. On the other hand, if politician makes a decision and refuses to change his mind in the face of opposition, they are tagged, “Out of Touch.” I don’t mean to insinuate that some leaders aren’t indecisive and that others refuse to admit that they are wrong. What I am saying is that we all change our minds on issues as situations change or we become better informed. It’s also equally true that there times when we make decisions based more on our core values than the circumstances. Although the circumstances may change, the principles we are operating out of remain constant.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:51:24 +0000
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