-Michael Reid
It remains widely disputed that the media significantly affects the general public. Research done on the subject continues to clash on issues such as behavioral shifts and changes in ideologies. The four essays read discuss this continuing debate over the effects of the mass media. “The Influence and Effects of Mass Media,” by Denis McQuail, focuses on the overarching beliefs of mass media effects. Through a history of the development of mass media and mass media studies, he provides a brief summary of the controversy surrounding the issue. McQuail stresses that media studies fail to be detailed enough to eliminate all outside variables for a decisive result. He argues that effects of the media remains relative to the individuals receiving the information and because of this, a comprehensive explanation of the effects would prove exhausting and virtually impossible. In his article about newspapers, Walter Lippmann states that the role of the journalists is to “make of moles mountains and of mountains moles.” Journalists focus on events, not social trends and movements. Because of this, Lippmann suggests, the media cannot be relied on for providing an all-encompassing view of society. He states that journalists provide only a “searchlight” that shines and certain aspects of society at on time, potentially leaving other more culturally significant happenings in the dark. Sean Aday discusses the portrayal of casualties due to war in his study “The Real War.” He provides a brief overview of Pentagon policies for journalists in wars since Vietnam. While focusing on the most recent Iraq war, he states that while journalists may be exposed to casualties, it becomes a moral dilemma as to whether or not images of the dead should be presented. Finally, Linda L. Putnam focuses on the impact of media coverage on environmental issues in “News Coverage of Environmental Issues.” She argues that the media serve as agenda-setters in environmental conflicts, but fail to make any sort of change to the happenings. She states that the media tend to focus on conflict rather than the issues at hand. Recently, President Obama changed the government policy on media coverage of dead soldiers returning to be buried in the United States. Stations such as CNN now set aside a few minutes everyday to show footage of the return as well as provide a brief biography of the soldiers. I find it a poignant moment for reflection on the sacrifices made by soldiers, but others find the coverage an atrocity and extremely unpatriotic. How will this new policy affect the sentiment for war? While I can see it leading to greater animosity toward conflict, I can also see it increasing the respect for the military in the U.S. Based on the readings, will the change even change anything?
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