I remember back in school days, adults and teachers always encouraged the younger ones like myself to read more. Especially newspapers. Supposedly to keep with the times, being aware of what goes on in the world in order to be more prepared I guess. I am not sure how it was back then but these days, the newspapers and other 'sources' of information are rigged. Not in a sense that the news are made up, but the source providers determine the information which are to be provided to the readers. In a way they control the masses. They decide what to tell the people, changing the way they perceive the world and also averting their attention to certain issues possibly to distract them while trying to avoid other matters which may be more pressing.
I have noticed a similar pattern in the making of the news since 10 years ago when I decided to read newspapers seriously. Whenever there is a dangerous issue regarding the way how the country is being run, it all seems to dissipate rather nicely followed by a barrage of other type of news. I will take sexual assault as an instance. Every now and then there will be a flurry of sexual assault related news in the newspapers that would last for an amount of time. Of course this makes everybody more careful. I guess the current 'trend' now are paedophiles. You will notice that after a major and brutal incident that similar news have been appearing all over the news.
I am not condemning what is being published but rather would prefer it if they did not just fixate on one particular type of criminal activity like a seasonal thing. Publishing lots of articles regarding one particular type of criminal activity does not necessarily mean that it is the in thing in the country that potential criminals are doing. It especially does not mean that there are not other crimes happening, like murder and corruption.
I get irritated when people speak as if they are so well informed of what goes on in the world. They say things like "Nowadays, there are a lot of rape going on ohh..." As if it does not happen every other time it is not published in the news? Hence I reiterate that reading does not make a person better or refined. A person can be given things to help make things better, but also he can use it for his own selfish purposes and even at the cost of others.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Reading is Good for Who?
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4 response[s]:
Hey. I get what you mean. This is basically called the agenda setting theory that's being practiced by most news organizations out there.
According to Wikipedia, agenda setting happens when "the mass-news media have a large influence on audiences by their choice of what stories to consider newsworthy and how much prominence and space to give them. Agenda-setting theory’s central axiom is salience transfer, or the ability of the mass media to transfer importance of items on their mass agendas to the public agendas."
IN other words, news establishments tells the mass how important a story by giving it more prominence and coverage. It tells the masses what to think about.
Having personally been in the news room before, this agenda setting can be part of a political motive where unseen forces control what and how stories are written and may involve spin doctors and suppression of certain news.
Sometimes, it is an issue that rightfully demands attention from the public.
Agenda setting is a phenomenon that happens in most established news publication.
And blogs as well.
It doesn't matter which side of the fence you belong to. For example; Some blogs will prominently feature on an issue because its authors feel that justice must be done.
Take the Altantunya case. There is a blog which has a lot of posts about it. Not that it is attention seeking (which can be clearly seen from the blog), but because they were sincere in demanding justice to be served for the sake of the victim and her family.
Or remember the time when Rocky blew the lid about PM's new luxury jet? If it is not for the community of bloggers, PM would not have said anything about it as well.
So, agenda setting happens not only in mainstream media, but also in the blogosphere.
IMHO, there are down and upsides to agenda setting.
The upside: Things that need to be addressed like injustice, corruption etc. which demand attention, well, gets more attention. With more people informed, things can start to change when the INFORMED people demands a CHANGE. This is democracy. Check and balance.
The downside: Sometimes, the media institutions have an hidden agenda. They supress information. They sway the readers' opinions to their side. Propaganda.
Or, like the peodaphile example you gave. Sometimes the media overplays it that it loses sight. Unnecessary details are divulged which sometimes does not help the progress of police's investigation. Sometimes, wrong information are given. That is why I applaud the police for lodging a report against the media for "false reporting."
On the other hand, it is easy to see why media will feature a lot stories on certain issue when it is still 'hot.'
Newspapers are news today, nasi lemak wrappers tomorrow. Anyone in their right mind would know that just because the newspapers feature more stories on rapes today, means that other crimes are not going on.
Basically, the newspapers are giving it more prominence so that the govt/public/others will do something about it. And they will continue on until SOMEONE does something about it.
If not, the issue will just fly past and be forgotten. And I believe you'll agree with me that people suffers from ADD.
Read today, forgotten tomorrow.
Well, agenda setting can't be helped. It can be used for betterment for worse.
The most important thing is, the readers must not take everything at face value but question whenever they read something. It is true? Are they not trying to play some issue here?
It doesn't matter. Blogs or mainstrea media. Since God gave us an intelligence, we should use it wisely to discern between what is right, what is wrong and what is not entirely right.
If only doing it were so much more easier, though. But that's life.
I guess what I am trying to say is: Being informed helps a person make better decisions.
Not taking things at face value. Have I become more of a cynical and sceptical person? Probably yes. But it is inevitable.
It's like when you're deciding to buy a car. You read good reviews about it in a magazine. But to be sure, you read other rival magazines that does not say much great things about it. Then you test drive the car. If it feels good, you make your decision
to whether buy it or not. Or you find out that for the same price, you can get another car which performs and looks better.
Not just cars, but ideologies, perspectives, etc. Information helps you to make the better (though sometimes not neccessary right) decisions.
But sometimes things can get muddled from information overload.
Which is why I often find myself in a tug of war between childlike faith and reasonable scepticism.
But most of the times, being informed really helps.
Wow you're blogging in my comments now? rofl... but yeah would have been great reading material on your blog
Haha, yea i was shocked when i finished. Well, it takes a good post to elicit another good post, ahem... comment. LOL
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