Media businesses are in to make profits. Many media outlets will opt for news stories that sell the most as news industry prospers on spectacular, fast-paced storylines. In this case, it is also true that not all-prominent stories are sensational, and not all sensational stories are prominent. The media thus surpasses the prominence of the news stories disseminated to the public. The media has become an extreme money-making institution which its ability to make more money defeats the logic of the informative role. This paper is set out to answer two questions: Which types of issues, events, institutions, and interests are likely to be downplayed or overplayed because of the media’s need for exciting news? And Are there any public policies that may rectify the situation?
As much as the media may encompass various roles and the major role being informative, there are some issues which make the new stories they choose to be aired viewed as slanted or biased. Media in the agenda-setting are the main propagators of political agendas which in some cases overpowers its purpose of passing information. In the informative roles, journalists convey information to the citizens regarding breaking news and events development. This information creates public awareness of developments that have a bearing on their lives. Nevertheless, as a result of the media’s thirst for attracting a larger audience, these breaking news stories time and again emphasize on developments, for instance, public figure scandals which mostly have little connections with the real political and government issues that affect the ordinary citizens. Secondly, the media functions as a public courier present a platform for political leaders to address their followers. Gradually, the news today has been positioned more closely to the journalists themselves as compared to the content they unfold. In the watchdog role, the media act in the protection of the public by uncovering fraudulent, deceptive, irresponsible, or corrupt office holders. The media leans too much on stressing of negative information as they tend to sell more and also because it attracts attention. This overplaying aspect has brought criticism as in negative ways it has promoted invasion of privacy against public officers.
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At length, the media roles as a partisan advocate assume sides in the political positions or interests. The traditional media outlets remain to be most unbiased, struggling to sidestep visibly partisan inclinations. Talk programs, both on the radio and television, continues to be predominantly conservative, whereas most influential Internet bloggers have tolerant leanings. The effect of partisan advocacy has promoted the towering political institution levels of polarization in the United States.
However, there are no particular public policies that regulate the downplaying or overplaying of new stories by the media industry. The government through the Federal Communications Commission only come in to regulate the content that is distributed to the public. Government regulation comes in the maintenance of requirements for efficient operation of media markets in content creation, airing and dissemination, especially in today’s competitive industry and it further aims to protect consumers who are the people affected by the media contents.
Conclusion
The media needs to provide balance in their contents when it comes to programming. Downplaying or overplaying in a certain aspect of the news dissemination has seen the press not executing the duties as mandated especially the watchdog role. As much as news makes money the media outlets should not be led by greed for money, instead focus on its sole mandate. Although there is no specified clause under media regulation law that governs the downplaying or overplaying of media contents , the government comes in to check the content so that it should not be overly biased.
