The Importance Of Global Media

Submitted By Alexander-Phoenix
Words: 1380
Pages: 6

There are so many different types of media in today’s society that it is almost impossible to keep up with them all. It seems like every week some new website pops up and promises it is the best way to keep up with family and friends or meet new people. The media has become one of the biggest factors on the way we view ourselves and the world. It effects what we eat, what we wear, where we live, how we raise our children, and the list goes on and on. There is no escaping it. It has enveloped are everyday lives. You go to work you listen to the radio, you get to work and pick up a newspaper, turn on the computer and yahoo or google has the top headlines, and once you get home you watch television and you are bombarded with commercials to tell you what show to watch for updates on whats going on in the world. With all of today’s global media outlets it has become increasingly important to protect yourself from misinformation and propaganda. You almost have to be skeptical of everything that you read and hear because once you hear it one news station or read it one magazine another station or publication will be reporting something completely different from what was first reported. It can be hard to wade through all of the social and political mess to get to the actual facts at hand. I’m not trying to say that the media is bad but it has a responsibility to the people. Media was birthed from true democracy that within itself should tell you that it has a responsibility to the people. There are many types of media that I plan on discussing. We must know that while they have a general responsibility to the people each of them has their own individual responsibility. For one to begin laying the framework for media responsibility then you must first know the different types. The different types of media tend to reach out to different types of people.The first form of media is news media. This is where you get your news about the government and global issues. It is relied upon to tell you what is going on in the world because there is no way you could possibly know about human rights violations in china when you live in Atlanta, Georgia unless you lived there or someone told you. The news media is the most informative of all the other forms of media because of the topics that it covers. There are two sub-categories of news media. Print media and Broadcast media. Print media is the oldest form of media and includes newspapers, journals, magazines, newsletters, and other forms of printed media. The number of people who read printed media daily has been on the decline in the past couple of decades. Even with that fact people still read a newspaper or magazine everyday which means that it still has a very significant impact on society today. People who read print media tend to be those who are more active in politics. The second form of news media Broadcast media. Broadcast media are news reports that are spread through television and radio. It is extremely important because this is how the majority of people get their news. For the last half of a century broadcast news has been dominated by three major networks…CBS, NBC, and ABC. Each of these networks broadcast their versions of both the morning and nightly news. This was how most people got their news until the introduction of cable news which shows non-stop 24 hours a day so now people can watch it at any time and get constant updates on what is going on. The other branch of broadcast media is radio. Before television sets invaded every home in America radio broadcasts were how a large majority of people got their news other than the newspaper. In more recent times many people still listen to radio broadcasts for their news. Some radio show hosts have nationally syndicated broadcasts in which they report the news and get listener feedback and opinions on what is going on in today’s world. This is called talk radio. They mix interviews with political commentary. Now there is