How do we find out what’s going on in the world?

How do people get information about the world? How are events and happenings received by us people who aren’t directly involved with the issue? I’m sure every single one of us in our generation would say that information comes to us through media. This is indeed true because in our daily lives, media is present, and it never ceases to update us with whatever is happening with the world. In fact, in modern times today, not only events are conveyed to the viewers but also those entertainment talk shows about celebrities like ETC and SNN.

Media is very important because without it, people would be clueless and unaware of current events. Not knowing the news is actually quite hard since people would want to be updated regarding their environments. However, is media clearly what it seems to be? Or media is tapped or biased in favour of those involved? Lisle (2009) states that all media representations come from somewhere to express a particular agenda- these are unclear biased information that is constructed and shaped in a way that communicates a dominant picture of the world that benefits some and excludes the others. This means that it is highly doubtful for any journalist to represent the world without any unbiased reactions. Bias and media go hand in hand. Thus, cannot be separated from each other.
In countries such as the UK, US, Philippines, etc, the state always pressures media to stay on their side. This benefits the government since what the media relays to the public are screened. They make certain that media has nothing bad to say about them because this destroys their reputation as political entities in the country. The governments actually transform the role of media from being a watchdog to being a mouthpiece that only talks about the good side of the state.

Media has had moments wherein it sided with the representations of war. During the Vietnam War back in the 1960’s to the 1970’s, the government seek to control the role of media during times of war. This war is significant due to how media evolved during the time. Journalists, photographers and cameramen had access to the battlefields. They started out as watchdogs, who only informed that public what’s happening in the world. Through time, they transformed into mouthpieces, where they aligned their stories and pictures with the military. A similar thing happened during the Gulf War in the 1960’s as the Department of Defense News Media Pool was created to control and manage media’s access to the battlefield. Media was also aligned with the government during the Iraq War in 2003 (Lisle, 2009).

There are two main traditions with respect to media and foreign policy- the Pluralist tradition and the Marxist tradition. The Pluralist tradition views media as a watchdog, keeping a keen eye on the government. This is opposed by the Marxist tradition which views media as a mouthpiece that only states what the government want them to express. The Pluralist perspective believes in liberal-democratic societies which thinks that media is an extension of the public sphere. For them, information is given to them and it serves as a watchdog or a reported on those in power. Pluralists’ principle is that of consumer choice and they emphasize media products available to every single consumer (Lisle, 2009). The Marxist perspective believes in a hierarchical society where power is possessed by the rich and the powerful. It is always assumed here that media will always protect the ruling class. Here, any information that is not aligned with the ruling class are suppressed and cannot be known to the public.

Stuart Hall, a prominent theorist, states that media may contain a number of possible interpretations. According to him, the meaning of the media text by the producers will not be read by the consumers correctly. In short, media’s message will always be relative to those who view them. This is true since every single human being thinks differently from any other human being. Imagine that you are taking an exam. There is only one essay question and everyone will answer it differently. This means that people don’t think the same way. Each one has his own insight, knowledge and realization. As such, watching a video for instance or watching media will never be the same for everyone. Hence, negative or positive thoughts will never be avoided.

Media codes will not be read similarly by all individuals because again, people live their lives differently. Each one of us has different experiences, views and morals which affect our way of thinking. Once again, our values and culture shape who we are- our identity and this influences our way of thinking. That’s why I strongly agree with Hall because media can never bring out a single message to everyone. A single commercial may never be interpreted similarly by a group of 10 people. People’s imaginations also must be considered here. Media is something creative and creativity brings out imagination to everyone.

Regarding the government and the media, I think I speak for everyone when I say that the state is always supported by the media. At least here in the Philippines. For a corrupt country like ours, it is impossible for media and the government to work together. Observe, and you will notice that media only delivers good things about the government- it’s accomplishments and projects. Everything they’ve done wrong is not really expressed to the public because this would bring them shame. Now, this makes me think whether media is helpful or not. Though it is helpful since it informs us and makes us aware of our society, is it worth it to only see one side? Is it worth it to not see the big picture and the truth?

Sources:
Edkins, J. and Zehfuss, M. (eds.). (2009). Global politics: A new introduction. London: Routledge.