| On television and in print both the news media and politicians
take great pride in the appearance of truth, honesty and lack of bias. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The mass media exists for one reason only; to turn a profit. While their business is indeed the dissemination
of current information, every facet of their operation, from which stories are covered to the editorialization of
said stories, is designed to increase their profit. Stories of rape, murder, child abuse, conflict, all of these
make entertaining television spots and engrossing blurbs in a newspaper. For this reason these types of stories
are included in far higher proportion to ‘happy’ news stories, thereby altering the public's view of the world and
their own safety. The media also puts a spin on current politics, showing the government and the president in the
best light possible. This is especially true since 9/11 and the ‘war on terror.’ While this may or may not be
patriotic, it is not unbiased coverage of events and decisions that affect us all as citizens. Politicians themselves
are no better. While the goal of the media is increased revenues, the politicians strive for broader voter bases and
election or reelection. Their solutions and stances are modulated to be as bland and middle-of-the-road as possible.
No question is answered straightforwardly when it can be avoided. By making every statement and stance as vague as
possible, politicians avoid decisively eliminating anyone from their voter base. While the tactics of the media are
excellent for making a profit, and the tactics of the politicians are superb for keeping a broad voter base, they both
fail miserably at the jobs they profess to be doing; those of informing the public of current events in the world and
in political thought. As Americans we need to take these ulterior motives into account before accepting politicians
and the news media at face value.
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