Media’s Power in Shaping Culture and Politics: The Need for Unbiased News

Media have tremendous power in setting cultural guidelines and in shaping political discourse. It is essential that news media is challenged to be unbiased and truthful. Most many people find news whether on TV, newspaper, or magazines to be politically bias. Michael Parenti, the author of Inventing Reality, asserts that the news can be bias towards political issues by using the “Methods of Misrepresentation” (Parenti 53).

This includes: “Framing and Labeling”, “Selectivity and Deliberate Omission”, “The Greying of Reality”, “Auxiliary Embellishments”, and “Placement” (Parenti). These methods are used to serve the private news conglomerates and our country interests instead of the public interests. Therefore, the news content became politically biased. Moreover, the past decade has seen more change in the craft of news media than perhaps any other. Since the news conglomerates took over local papers and stations, news became less relevant and more for entrainment.

The more news is entertaining to its audience, the more money for the news conglomerates and the shareholders. Thus, news is not as important to the lives of audience as they once were. The issue of economy is very crucial topic in the U. S. However, many news networks misrepresents the public interest by placing the article in the most secluded pages in the newspaper. For instance, the article, “Economists question accuracy of picture from economic data”, by New York Times Service, in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, discusses how the government’s picture of the economic data has a wide gap from the reality.

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It also explains why the government miscalculated the data, and gave a brief explanation on how to calculate it correctly. Since this article rectifys the government, San Diego Union Tribune decided to publish it on page A6 with advertising Ads. This is an example of “Placement” because as important as this issue has been to the public, the San Diego Union Tribune published the story in a place that is hidden from the readers view. Most people would never see it if they were just glossing the pages. According Parenti “troublesome stories that are not suppressed, ignored [... still can be buried in obscure places. Placement is often used for the greying of reality”(Parenti 58). Another method of misrepresentation that occurs often in the news media is omission. Omission occurs when important information is not reported or is reported incompletely. likewise, Parenti defines it as, “ sometimes the unmentioned includes not just particular details of he story but the entire story itself- even ones about major events” (Parenti 54). An example of suppressed issue in the mainstream press is that of the former Vice President Dick Cheney’s speech on October 21, 2009.

He gave an important speech about the Center for Security Policy, and it was not televised on any American news or network. Not even Fox News televised this speech. They have, however, posted the speech on their website. Perhaps this deliberate omission of this speech from the news networks occurred because the Bush Administration became less powerful since too many people lost trust in it. Thus, when this particle example was omitted, than we are getting a skewed or biased perspective from Fox News network.

Since big conglomerates bought news networks, the definition of “news” have changed for the past few decades because the profit motives. Before, news was information that is of broad interest to the intended audience. Today, “news production distortions are of a more political nature and reveal a pattern of bias that favors the dominate class of interests and statist ideology” (Parenti 53). When the president of ABC news was asked “how has the standard for what qualifies is news has changed because of the pressure profit motives?

He responds back by saying it has changed and broadened and not lowered” (News War). An example of “broaden” news is “Palin visits Florida town that feted her in 2008” on MSNBC website headline news. This news report made it to the headline not because the public is interested in where Sara Palin visit, but because news produces want more news to fill up the page and to make more profit. Now days, anything can be made news as long as there is a video and a story line that goes with it. Thus, the issue of profit motives serve big conglomerates interest and not the public nterest as it once was. News media definition have shifted from public interest news to profit motive news, from fair and truthful news to political bias and inaccurate news. We live in a time where newspapers are not sufficient anymore, internet and TV are easier to access and cost less. However, it is very difficult to supply enough news to fill a whole page of website and a whole hour of TV news. Thus, to make profit the internet and TV, big private conglomerates decided to soften the news content to occupy the extra time thats left from the real important news.

News content became more politically biassed, more entertaining, and more profitable. News is being selectively “siding with those who have powers, position, and wealthy”(Parenti 54). By covering news, politics, weather, sports, entertainment, and vital events, the daily media shape the dominant cultural, social and political picture of our society, only, instead of the real important issues of the cultural, social, and political picture of our society.

Works Cited

1. New York Times Service. “Economists Question Accuracy of Picture from Economic Data. San Diego Union Tribune 9 Nov. 2009: A6. News War: What’s Happening to the News. Prods.
2. Stephen Talbot and Lowell Bergman. Frontline. PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, 2007. “Palin visits Florida town that feted her in 2008. ” 24 Nov. 2009. MSNBC. 24 Nov. 2009 .
3. Parenti, Michael. Inventing Reality. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993. New York Times Service. “Economists Question Accuracy of Picture from Economic Data. "
4. San Diego Union Tribune 9 Nov. 2009: A6. “RAW DATA: Dick Cheney's Remarks to the Center for Security Policy. ” 21 Oct. 2009. FOX News. 24 Nov. 2009 .

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