The media, either in the form of social media or mainstream contemporary media platforms, are influential in influencing and shaping perspectives. Media reporting from contemporary sources, including print, live television, or radio stations, has created a trust within audiences, making them reliable sources of information (Jamieson & Van Belle, 2019). The power of the media makes it a fragile platform that requires ethical management to scrutinize information before its dissemination to the public audiences. The discussion focuses on the aspects of media transmissions influence and the opposing pressure driving media sources to be keen on breaking news; the post inferences based on insights shared by Kathleen Curver in an interview over the Hurricane Katrina reporting.
The media as a platform remain regarded as reliable sources of information as they are critical in leading as well as shaping social discussions. According to Jamieson and Van Belle (2019), the breaking news concept of the media is an aspect that always attracts audiences as details of events creates greater interest among the public. Therefore, in breaking the news for the first time, the media helps the public form a perspective on the occurrences. Hence, media transmissions create the narrative from which every conversation on social topics over an event or phenomenon is based.
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High levels of competition in the media business have pushed media houses to address innovative products levels. The urge to be the first station sharing breaking news affects how viewers perceive their media sources. The market and audience share in the industry has been a factor in creating loyalty while improving revenues for the media outlets (Jamieson & Van Belle, 2019). The commercial aspects of news rarely discussed continues to be the significant pressure that sees media sources break the news to their audiences without regard to ethical backgrounds in their reporting.
The media enjoys a significant influence on society. Globally, media has been a catalyst for change and well as social decadence when supporting autocratic regimes. The reading on Hurricane Katrina reporting sees the interviewee highlight the contrasting reporting that has gone on to influence social perspectives (Kramer, 2017). The key areas include the media capture of racial and class stratification in New Orleans. The racial undertones in such diverse communities have seen the reporting by media change audience perspective from the significant issues to underlying social tensions and racial backgrounds (Sommers et al., 2006). The reporting of victims of the storm breaking into shops showcases the indifference in racial coverage by leading national media sources.
References
Jamieson, T., & Van Belle, D. A. (2019). How development affects news media coverage of earthquakes: Implications for disaster risk reduction in observing communities. Sustainability , 11 (7), 1970.
Kramer, M. (2017). When Hurricane Katrina hit, reporters made serious mistakes. Here’s what to avoid this time around. Poynter. Retrieved from https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2017/when-hurricane-katrina-hit-reporters-made-serious-mistakes-heres-what-to-avoid-this-time-around/
Sommers, S. R., Apfelbaum, E. P., Dukes, K. N., Toosi, N., & Wang, E. J. (2006). Race and media coverage of Hurricane Katrina: Analysis, implications, and future research questions. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy , 6 (1), 39-55.
