The Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Media - Essay Example Those who have made the change are aware of this bias and do not want to be influenced by it, especially if they are not of the same opinion. It appears to be an undeniable fact that the media has the power to influence people’s opinions, which can severely impact social and political climates; therefore, it is extremely important that the average person develop the ability to judge the quality of their news sources. First and foremost, it is vital that people understand precisely how the media impacts their opinions. According to the article entitled â€Å"How the Media Portray Issues,† author Scott London tells his audience that they must pay greater attention to how their news is framed. â€Å"A frame is the central organizing idea for making sense of relevant events and suggesting what is at issue†¦To identify frames, the informational content of news reports is less important than the interpretive commentary that attends it†(London). In essence, London is saying that the news itself does not matter, but it is how the news is presented to the audience that is very important to be aware of as it is the media’s â€Å"interpretation† of the news which can influence the public’s opinions. Since a lot of the traditional media sources are interpreted from a liberal perspective, that means that the media might not report certain aspects of a piece of news if it does not fall in line with or hurts their own opinion/interpretation of it. This type of thinking shows a lack of objectivity. According to London, â€Å"Objectivity has been the ruling principle in American journalism for the better part of the 20th century†(London). However, London believes that objectivity does not really exist in today’s world: â€Å"objectivity became a standard in journalism "precisely when the impossibility of overcoming subjectivity in presenting the news was