Response – Post 2

Today’s discussion regarding journalism, biases and the idea of commodity was fascinating to me – and it also answered two of my three framing questions posted earlier this week (imagine that).

As a former journalist, it’s funny to think back about how these same ideas affected the way I wrote my own stories. It’s no secret that news organizations are owned by large media conglomerates that are driven by economical, political and social agendas. The news is no longer the “fourth estate” we might have once believed it to be. Now, it’s about advertisers, the bottom line and being the first to break a story (quantity over quality). However, when one is consuming the media (or even acting as part of it) this isn’t necessary our first reaction when reading or writing a story. Everyday I take in media that is biased and at times, I don’t even question it. Sure, if I turn on Fox News I’ve been programmed to know that it’s going to have a conservative slant or that Rush Limbaugh isn’t going to best friends with President Obama. There are certainly news symbols that I recognize or even play into to help frame my view of the outside world (hello Colbert Report), but, what about all the other times when I’m not necessary paying attention to the behind-the-scenes agenda setting that is going on? What about Twitter and Facebook, or even bloggers/iReporters that post news as if they don’t carry biases?

It’s as if we always need to be on guard and question everything that is handed to us, because the news has become a commodity, something that large media organizations are selling to us based on what fits their needs and agendas versus what is best for the public good. Of course, not all media organizations create their entire content based on the bottom dollar, but it is something we should all be aware of.

An example from my own experience is when I was an intern at a local entertainment magazine. I was compiling a story about hot fall hair fashions and was asked to find a handful of salons in the area and speak to their resident “expert.” After I had made my list and my phone calls my editor came back to me and gave me an entirely new list. There was nothing wrong with the list I had originally made – they were all great salons – but none of them were our advertisers who expected editorial space and coverage. While this may seem petty and in the grand scheme of things not a huge deal, it shows that agenda-setting and biases do play roles in our everyday lives – even in the smallest of ways.

While it may seem a bit cold-hearted, the news is a business after all, and while many stories are legitimate and news-worthy, we as viewers should recognize biases and understand the symbols we are letting shape our perspective of the world.

Tags: agenda setting, journalism, news, symbols