The Viewer And Media

Citizens do not have access to what’s going on inside Congress the way the media does; therefore there is a very important relationship established between the conscience viewer and the talking head that reports the news. Because TV is seen as legitimate, the viewer believes and trusts the source without the slightest question. Thomas J. Volgy explains the decline of media respectability in chapter 8 of his book, Politics in the Trenches. Communication is essential in politics, but the viewer only wants to communicate if it involves drama or controversy, so the media supplies the sensationalism to a very demanding public. News media hold the power when it comes to policy being conveyed to the citizens through manipulation of facts, bias, and agenda setting.

Television has become a number one source of communication between the people and the politicians; however, the viewer does not want to have to interpret the media, so he/she settles for a 30 second sound bite and does not question the accuracy of the story. Volgy explains the declining viewer population by saying, “Getting to be first on audience ratings on television likely requires a visually exciting вЂ" or truly sensational вЂ" product regardless of its actual news value” (Volgy 153). This statement is evident today in the stories the news covers or agenda setting. The first example that comes to mind when it comes to sensational journalism would be Terry Schiavo. The world turned in everyday to see if her husband would cut the feeding tube to his vegetative state wife. He ultimately did cut the tube, and we have not heard anything about it sense. Media surrounded the area and tried to get facts that no other news source had. A lot of this sensationalism spawns from the Watergate Era. The media took on this role of “watchdog” and have been trying to get that breaking news and Pulitzer Prize ever since. Instead seeking to tell the news, the media has started to make the news. A classic example is Dan Rather. Rather was a respectable senior anchor on CBS evening news and he also was the host of the investigative news show “60 Minutes.” Around the 2004 election, Rather ran a story saying George W. Bush was never in the military. Rather’s sources were inaccurate, and the mistake cost him his job. The television media today is also very biased. Viewers can tune into CNN and FOX news and hear very different stories about the same issue. If the news media was doing their job then they would simply report the facts, however boring that may be. If there is communication between elected officials and the voters then the voters may be more empathetic to the politician because they understand where he/she is coming from. Also, if the voters understand the issue, then they would not have extreme, unrealistic expectations. The media need to “media”te between the politician and the voter in a factual, unbiased way.

Newspapers are another way citizens receive their news; however, the interest in newspapers is falling at a rapid rate. Newspapers used to be the top way voters were informed about what was going on in the world. The public has become so busy that they do not have time to read papers, and if they do, they scan the paper for the pictures or things that interest them. Volgy states in his book that one reporters strategy is, “Taxes and sex. If I can get both in the story, people will read it and it will be front page. Sex alone may make the front page; a story on taxes going up will have some good chance. If both are out, it isn’t going to be read and will barely survive getting in the paper” (156). The media is not entirely to blame for the rapid decline of journalism. The declining morals of citizens fuel this circle of tasteless journalism. After all it is a business,