Modern mass media consolidation and the erosion of information

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

5 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

11/21/2008

Category :

Arts & media

Sub category :

Journalism

Oboulo.com selection criteria

$ 10.95 Add to cart

Summary :

Introduction.
The mass and the removal of the need for discourse.
1. Media critics, analysts, observers, and the like.
2. Media - always influenced by the dollar.
The process for removing the necessity for hard information.
1. The Media Monopoly by Ben H. Bagdikian.
2. Mass media as an authority more trustworthy than the government itself.
3. Keeping the American public feeling the same way.
4. The general format of a news program.
5. Turning the news into entertainment.
Presidential elections - gold mines for the media.
1. The narrative structures created by the media in politics.
Conclusion.

Abstract

Ever since there has been a way to convey information-spoken language, perhaps even body language?-there has been the immediate by-product of misinformation. It is a reasonable assumption to say that nothing presented as information of any sort can ever be fully "true," particularly if that information is coming from a limited number of sources. However, the introduction of "media" that offered the possibility of providing information to increasingly larger numbers of people has only proven to come with more undesirable effects. In times even as recently as the 1800's and early 1900's, when newspapers were the dominant mass media, the public was more prepared to know how specific information affected them and how it affected them personally. Additionally, the linguistic tradition that existed prior to mass media encouraged discursive thought and demanded patience from the public, who could decide for themselves how they felt about a particular issue. As Neil Postman wrote in Amusing Ourselves to Death, events such as the Lincoln-Douglas debate were met with enthusiasm from a public who yearned to know for themselves, and who would ultimately decide for themselves based on in-depth analytical information they received.