Media Events that impacted Public Opinion on Government Agencies

Introduction 

The essence of this paper is to discuss political events that have, continue to, and will shape the U.S’s political direction. The paper discusses two civil rights events that have influenced a sense of social responsibility in the government today, media events that have positively or negatively impacted public opinion of a government agency. Further the essay discusses two differences between the Democratic and Republican parties that may have ethical implications (positive or negative) on the people of the United States. 

Civil Rights Events 

Civil rights events and movements in the United States have had significant impact on the sense of responsibility by the state or government. Historic civil rights events allowed Americans, irrespective of their race and social status, to access fair and equal treatment before the law. Some of these events led to landmark legislations that outlawed certain practices like racial segregation, unequal pay, and gender inequalities. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is one of the landmark pieces of legislation on civil rights and liberties that demonstrated the government’s sense of responsibility for all citizens irrespective of their race (History Staff, 2009). The act outlawed any kind of discrimination based on race, religion, sex, gender and nation of origin among other provisions. As a result of the legislation, citizens gained equal access to economic and social resources. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensured that all people had the right to participate in political activities and have the right to social and political freedom. The event ensured that equality was entrenched in the American society (Patterson, 2006). Initiated by President Kennedy before his assassination, the act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson and guaranteed equal treatment and employment to all. The act also limited the use of literacy tests and mandated federal authorities to ensure that all public facilities were integrated and free from discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was preceded by the Match on Washington where over 200,000 Americans, both white and black, congregated at the Lincoln Memorial to push for an end to racial discrimination and segregation. The March on Washington also pushed for the enactment of the Civil Rights Act that had been introduced by President Kennedy but had not been enacted into law. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., the event marked the beginning of the journey for the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

The second important civil rights event was the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 (History Staff, 2009). The boycott was not only a political but also a social protect campaign aimed at addressing the racial segregation policy on the public transport system in Alabama and much of the Southern part of the United States. The campaign went on for a year and started after Rosa Park, a black woman, was arrested for not surrendering her seat in a public bus for a white passenger (Patterson, 2006). The Supreme Court through its ruling in the Browder v. Gayle case declared the Montgomery laws on segregated buses as unconstitutional. The federal government showed its social responsibility by requiring Montgomery to abide by the court’s decision. 

Media Events that impacted Public Opinion on Government Agencies 

Media coverage of events in the United States has strong impact whether negative or positive on how the public views government agencies, especially federal agencies (Gebreyes, 2015). One of the events that received extensive media coverage was the response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The media criticized the slow response by FEMA in its efforts to rescue the victims, some associating the slow response to racial segregation since a majority of the victims were African Americans (Gebreyes, 2015). However, the director of the agency at the time stated that FEMA had no authority to evacuate people from New Orleans. The director posited that the express authority to evacuate New Orleans lay in the hands of the state and local governments and not a federal agency. The media blamed FEMA and influenced how American citizens viewed the agency as being incapable of delivering its mandate (Gebreyes, 2015). As a result, distrust towards government agencies grew because of FEMA’s slow response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. 

A recent event that has drawn public attention on government agencies, especially at the local and state level is the media reporting of the Flint water crisis in Michigan. Lead seepage into drinking water in the area in 2016 led to huge public health crisis that prompted the federal government to declare a state of emergency (Kennedy, 2016). The residents of Flint- a majority African American city with about 40 percent living in poverty, complained about the water quality which the city and state officials declined for months that had problems. The officials, including the governor, Rick Snyder, knew about the contamination of the water but did not act (CNN Library, 2017). The lead contaminated water crisis was extensively covered by the media with the Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality and the federal Environmental Protection Agency facing criticism for the way they handled the situation. Governor Snyder and other state officials were also criticized because of how they handled the matter (Kennedy, 2016). The media coverage of the event demonstrated the inability of the government, right from local to the federal level, to handle local events. This caused negative perception of both federal and state government’s agencies. 

Differences between Republicans and Democrats with Ethical Impact on the U.S Citizens 

The Republican and Democratic parties have differences that emanate from their historical formation. The Democratic Party is left-leaning and liberal. Further, it is linked to progressiveness and equality. However, the Republican Party is right-leaning, conservative and linked to equity and economic freedom (Camosy, 2017). The Republican Party also promotes the concept of “survival of the fittest” such that all people fight for their sustenance. Therefore, these differences have ethical impacts on the people of the United States in several ways. These parties have difference views on national issues that affect morals and ethical values among people. Firstly, the parties have different views on abortion where Republicans believe that the government should restrict abortion. The Republicans are traditionally and religiously conservative and believe that the unborn child has a right to live that should not be taken away (Camosy, 2017). However, the Democrats believe that a woman has the right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy. Therefore, the government has no right over that decision. Democrats believe that sex education is essential in reducing unwanted pregnancies that are the main cause of abortion. Further, increased awareness addresses the issue of sexually transmitted diseases and thus no need to restrict abortion. 

The parties also differ on the issue of same sex unions or marriages with the Republicans opposed to the same sex unions as they believe that marriage is between a man and woman. Republicans also assert that gay couples should not adopt children (Drabold, 2016). The Democrats oppose the discrimination of any form, including same-sex marriage at all both federal and state levels. Democrats state that same sex couples need to enjoy similar rights just like heterosexual partners, and that includes the right to adopt a child (Fingerhut, 2016 & Republicanview.Org, 2013). These differences, among others, have significant ethical impact on the American citizens. For instance, the issue of same sex unions and their rights continues to draw sharp reactions among American citizens with different states recognizing the unions while others are yet to have legislations that support such marriages. Further, the federal government does not have a legislation concerning same sex unions. A majority of Americans believe that same sex couples should be recognized while abortion should not be restricted and the decision should lay in the hands of the woman and not government. 

References 

Camosy, C.C (2017) The GOP is raven and the Democrats are extremist on an abortion 

restriction most Americans favor; Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-camosy-20-week-abortion-ban-20171010-story.html 

CNN Library (2017) Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts; Retrieved from 

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/index.html 

Drabold, W. (2016) Read the Republican Platform on Same-Sex Marriage, Guns and Wall 

Street. Retrieved from http://time.com/4411842/republican-platform-same-sex-marriage-abortion-guns-wall-street/ 

Fingerhut, H. (2016) Support steady for same-sex marriage and acceptance of homosexuality. 

Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/12/support-steady-for-same-sex-marriage-and-acceptance-of-homosexuality/ 

Gebreyes, R (2015) The ‘Appalling’ Ways The Media Framed The Narrative After Hurricane 

Katrina. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hurricane-katrina-media-new-orleans_us_55dc999fe4b0a40aa3ac448d 

History Staff (2009) Civil Rights Movement; Retrieved from 

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement 

Kennedy, M. (2016) Lead-Laced Water In Flint: A Step-By-Step Look At The Makings Of A 

Crisis. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/20/465545378/lead-laced-water-in-flint-a-step-by-step-look-at-the-makings-of-a-crisis 

Patterson, J.T. (2006) The Civil Rights Movement: Major Events and Legacies. Retrieved from 

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/civil-rights-movement-major-events-and-legacies 

Republicanview.Org (2013) Republican Views on Gay Marriage; Retrieved from 

https://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-gay-marriage/