We
all know that the media has several responsibilities to the public in terms of
how they present news. In the same turn, I think that the public also has
several responsibilities to the media in terms of how they consume the media
that is presented to them. I believe that most times the media takes the blame
for things that they had no control over, things I believe are actually the
responsibility of the public and not the media.
A big problem is that the media often
takes the blame for “misleading” the public. The media says something and the
public blindly forms opinions on matters that they have no knowledge about
except for what is said in the article. I think that it’s the public’s
responsibility to research more about an event or topic before coming to a
conclusion about a situation. It’s not the media’s responsibility to make sure
that the public is filled in on every part of a specific situation.
Another responsibility is that the
public should be respectful to the opinions of the media, even if they are
different than some of those in the general public. In order to make sure that every
angle of a situation is reported. After all, the media is controlled to a
certain extent by the feedback from the public. If a story is shot down by the
public then it will never be brought to light, whether it’s important or not.
This makes sure the media is doing its job and the public is better informed.
The last responsibility that a
person has when consuming news is that they should read the entire article or watch
the entire piece. People should realize that the media puts a lot of work into
what it gives to the public so everything that is presented is there for a
reason. Important information is contained throughout the entire piece so it
should be read from beginning to end. This avoids any confusion in what the
author is trying to say and benefits both the media and the public.
These are obligations that the
public has that, if followed, will better the relationship between the public
and the media. We need to remember that the media is our friend. Most times it
depends on the public for help, the same public that often paints the media in
a bad light.
- Jahmel Jordon
I do agree with Jahmel in that the media is not responsible for filling in the public on every part of a specific situation; however, I do think that they have a responsibility to report the situation as visibly as possible in order to prevent any confusion from occurring. If the media keeps presenting stories that are misinterpreted, then I believe it is the media’s fault for not clearly explaining the story. The media’s job is to inform the public. If they cannot update the public without confusing them, then they are not fulfilling their job or their promise to the people. People watch the news to learn information on new stories. They should not have to look up every story after hearing it. People rely on the news for learning information so that they do not have to go hunting for it. If the public were responsible for hunting for more information for every story they heard, then the media would be pointless and unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI believe that individuals have the responsibility to listen and be open to both sides of a story. Individuals must try to remain neutral like the broadcaster/writer reporting on each story when the individual first hears it. This neutrality will help the individual gain the most out of the story. Individuals must also be responsible when it comes to differentiating between fiction and fact. They need to learn what sources are credible and what sources are not by completing some research before they stick to any source. Consumers need to filter what the media puts out there and only focus on the stories that truly matter to them.
- Celine Olcott
Frankly, I do not think that the public has any responsibility to consuming media. The media is a mechanism that informs the public of the most recent news and events, but how the public takes this information is entirely up to them. The public should have the choice to be as learned or as ignorant as they wish. Of course it would be great if the entire public made the choice to become well-informed, but however, being well-informed should not be imposed on the public. Ultimately, it is the people’s decision to make. After all, the media was created to serve the public. How the public takes advantage of this service should be entirely up to them.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if an individual wants to be well-informed, there are certain steps that he or she should take before consuming media. Like Jahmel, I believe that researching more about an event or being open minded to different news outlets can help the person become better consumers of media. But it is not necessary steps that every media consumer has to take.
This viewpoint might seem like the media should take all the blame when the public “misinterprets” the news, but actually I do not think that it is anyone’s fault. The media is trying to do its job—presenting information that may be interesting to its audience—while the public is doing theirs—listening to information that is interesting. The media cannot be blamed for producing stories that the public want to hear simply because they are the ones who wanted to hear it. Similarly, the public cannot be blamed for listening only to certain news, as it is in human nature to only pay attention to the things that most interest us. Consequently, the public does not have any responsibility to, but a choice to make before consuming media.
-Win E.
The media will never be perfect, but it should still try its best to be the most accurate and least biased that it can. Because the media is not perfect it is the public’s responsibility to take the information they receive from the media with a grain of salt, otherwise they are more likely to constantly be upset with the media. The public should be able to rely on the media for the general idea of any given topic, but should not count on the media to fill them in on every nitty-gritty detail because the media simply does not have time for that.
ReplyDeleteThe media should also be engaging and or entertaining, I disagree with Jahmel that it is the public’s responsibility to honor the work that the media puts in and read each article entirely. If the media does not engage me then I have no obligation to spend my time reading, watching, or listening to it. If the media is trying to convey something they believe is very important then it is their responsibility to make the public care as well.
The media and the public must work as a team in order to be effective. The media must provide the most accurate information that it can and the public must understand that the media is not perfect so they mustn’t worship everything that the media says. It is also important to remember that the media feeds off of what the public wants to know and that is how it is able to make money, so it is then the responsibility of the public to let the media know exactly what they want and like.
-Georgia Nicholas
Gladstone writes that consumers and their media have a mutual relationship in which each provide and depend on another. Basic responsibilities we have to the media include respect (as Mel mentioned), feedback, and a mutual understanding of bias.
ReplyDeleteThough at times we may disagree with what is broadcasted, consumers must not irrationally revolt or disrespect the provider. Don’t take things personally. I think it’s fair to provide feedback to your news outlet. Oftentimes controversial stories need positions from all sides of an issue to bring light to different perspectives of said issue.
Celine raised an interesting point on consumers needing to filter what is published. However media outlets shouldn’t strictly adhere to their consumers, because it is also necessary to hear things that are unpleasant. News isn’t always good news.
We must remind ourselves that people write articles, broadcast news, and publicize what we read. They are people that have opinions/prejudice/bias/intuition. So I don’t think neutrality is key. As readers it’s important to be open-minded but it’s also fair to have opinion and voice.
-Omar Peña
In her comment, Celine places a lot of onus on the media, saying, “The media’s job is to inform the public.” While it certainly should be the goal of the media to inform the public, I do not think that the media can be held completely accountable. Companies operating under the umbrella of the media are responsible for paying their employees and staying afloat in a competitive business. This does not paint a very romantic picture of journalism, but it is hardly evil to keep a business solvent by granting a scandal extra coverage. Until the audience asks for better content, it is unfair to blame the media for not supplying it. One responsibility of the audience, therefore, is to change the channel when someone starts interviewing Casey Anthony’s hairdresser and to resist the urge to buy the New York Post. As Gladstone notes, “even though the media are corporate-owned, their first allegiance is to their public because, if they lose that allegiance, they lose money.” I trust that many reporters and programs hate to sacrifice journalistic standards for ratings and would be happy if pandering to the viewers meant also producing the best possible reports.
ReplyDeleteThe audience is not only responsible for dictating what the media produces, but also for engaging with the media in order to be participatory members of our democracy. I disagree with Win’s statement: “I do not think that the audience has any responsibility to consuming the media.” While Win is, of course, right to say that responsible consumption of the media cannot be imposed on an individual, I maintain that it is the duty of voters to be informed (by taking the steps discussed in response to Georgia’s post.) During an election season, the reading and viewing choices of voters affect not only the decisions made by media companies but also the elected leadership of the United States. With such high stakes hanging on the public understanding of events, the responsibility of the consumer must not be downplayed.
Gladstone mentions in her graphic novel that consumers and their media depend on each other; I fully agree with this statement. I believe that the media should have just as much responsibility as consumers when it comes to choosing and broadcasting unbiased, informative news. However, in an increasingly competitve market where ratings determine the success of companies, the media has to place substantial, informative news on the back burner because WE (the public) are focusing our attention on the latest gossip and the hottest new trends. If a television company notices a record amount of viewers tuned in during Kim Kardashian's divorce special, they will keep feeding their consumers similar stories because that is what their consumers showed most interest in. As Charlotte mentions, “change the channel when someone starts interviewing Casey Anthony’s hairdresser and resist the urge to buy the New York Post” because those actions will change our media. We cannot blame the media for our fallacies; if we want better news, we must request better news.
ReplyDeleteGiven that we cannot fully change the media though, I do believe that consumers must be responsible when it comes to choosing their information sources. The media is not responsible for our well-being and whether we are informed or not, it is simply their responsibility to put out the information that comes their way. As Jahmel and Celine mention, it is truly the responsibility of the consumer to conduct their reasearch and read both sides of the story to determine what information sources are reliable and trustworthy.
P Montas ^
ReplyDeleteI think that individuals do have “responsibilities” when consuming media, but to themselves alone – to do what is necessary make sure that they, themselves, are benefiting from the information being given.
ReplyDeleteThe role of the media is indeed to inform the public about important news. The way that different media sources attempt to do this, however, could vary – some with wrong information, not enough information, misleading facts, bias, etc. Typically, the consumer wants to be well informed which is why they are reading/watching this source, yet due to all of these factors the individual will not receive the quality of information they are looking for. In response to this, consumers must make an effort to seek more reliable sources if they feel it is necessary.
I particularly liked Jahmel's point where he mentioned that consumers of media have a responsibility to read the full story or watch the full clip of a news report before forming an opinion. If a newspaper prints a story with a controversial headline that leads readers to believe one thing is true, when in fact the full article shows that the opposite is true and the headline was just meant to draw in readers, the consumer would and should hold more of the blame for being misinformed than the newspaper company.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when Jahmel stated, "I think that it’s the public’s responsibility to research more about an event or topic before coming to a conclusion about a situation. It’s not the media’s responsibility to make sure that the public is filled in on every part of a specific situation.", I obviously can imagine instances when this is a fair expectation (such as news on new legislature). However in the beginning days of this class, I remember defining the news as a media outlet that informs the public of local, national, and/or international news. Not every person who watches the news necessarily has the time or tools to do additional research. If we as consumers allow media outlets operate under the assumption that their consumers will research all information possibly left out, do we not simultaneously deprive ourselves of the right to be wholly informed by that which we call the news?
Kobby Adu-Diawuo
I would agree with Mel that both the media the public have mutual responsibilities to each other; however, I believe that the the responsibilities are slightly different than those which Mel is outlining. I agree that the consumers must be careful when reaching hasty decisions about what the media is saying since we have already identified the presence of bias in media. But, I believe that the consumers should be able to blame the media for being misinformed. If these biases create a falsified story and skew the truth, then one should be able to blame the media for putting a twist on the news.
ReplyDeleteThis, in essence, means that the news must report whatever facts that it does with integrity, even if it is not the whole truth because of a lack of time. I do agree with Mel in this regard because the media is under a time crunch and cannot always report all the facts. Consumers, therefore, as Gladstone asserts, must also take on the onus to inform themselves.
While I firmly believe that taking onus for the responsibilities that the media and consumers have, I am not fully sure as to whether this would better the relationship between the two.
On a side note, I would like to pose a question - Since we live in a world so skewed by money and profits, does taking the ownership of these responsibilities pose the threat to hindering capital growth?
-Akaash
I believe that consumers have one major responsibility while consuming the media: understanding that bias will inevitably seep into most forms of media. Media should never be taken as 100% fact. In certain articles bits of information are purposely left out or certain tones are used in the writing. In order to accentuate a point, authors leave out details that work against their argument. This is called confirmation bias. In essence, lots of forms of media have been shaped a certain way. I agree that the news is, at its core, a "mechanism that informs the public," but since it is produced by humans there will always be some form of bias in it. For this reason, I agree with Jahmel, in that consumers shouldn't form blind opinions based on media or take it for fact. When media consumers understand that they cannot take information as 100% fact, that is when they will have handled media the right way. When consumers adhere to this imperative responsibility, that is when the media can be handled properly.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia, I have to say I disagree almost completely with you on this issue. In your post, you stated several responsibilities that you believe the public, or the consumers, have while consuming media. I do not believe that consumers have any responsibilities while consuming media, unless their being educated on the issues is important to the public. For example, I believe that people voting in the Presidential election have a responsibility to know about the political standings of each candidate so that they can make an informed vote. This is the only kind of responsibility I believe a consumer can have while consuming media. Unless a consumer's knowledge of news is important to others or a crucial process, that consumer has no responsibility while consuming media.
ReplyDeleteTwo big points in these comments stuck out to me. Georgia's point that it is the consumer's responsibility to take what we see and hear with a grain of salt, i think, is a very good idea. Also, Charlotte's point about consumers needing to demand better coverage to get it is very accurate. Consumers cannot take information from media outlets without at least attempting to sift through it. By sift through it I mean take a look at the rhetoric of the language used, who are the sources they are getting the info from, what other angles are there? These questions need to be asked before completely absorbing a story. On the point of demanding better coverage, this is solely the responsibility of the consumer. If the consumer accepts nightly coverage of Brittany Spears and the lastest celebrity gossip, the media will keep feeding it to them. If they demand topics that are more worldly and have a bearing on things happening around the globe than companies will give that to them. Media companies are jus that, companies. They do what they do to turn a profit. If it is more profitable to produce garbage news stories on hollywood they will. It is out responsibility to demand better.
ReplyDelete- Connor Drinon
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