The Media Needs A Back To The Future Reality Check

The problem is that people expect media to perform in a certain way. Sensationalism sells. If it bleeds it leads sells. Sell Sell Sell! Unfortunately it is all in their business model or however you want to say it. It goes contrary to the code of ethics for journalism but it also sells more copies, gets more viewers etc. Shock and Awe right?

Until more people become educated it will continue to work. When it stops working they will do something else. I dont know what else to think about it.

HI JUSTIN!

It's an election year, they've got to make it seem as though the nation is falling apart.  I always think back to a movie called Wag the Dog.

Things that make you say hmmmm!

I was thinking about this some more. It really is a complex issue but there really is no way out of it. The most sensational stories have always been the ones who sold more papers. They used to compete with headlines and still do. Really to get away from this model would be impossible. I guess when I said education is the key because people need to be trained how to read between the lines so to speak. It really isnt something you are just born with. Thats why most educational models are moving towards focusing on critical thinking. It is a technique that is not biased in any way it just teaches you how to think for yourself. I was fortunate in attending a liberal arts University that focused greatly on critical thinking.

Justin - I've sen these numbers before - it is so true.  Like many posts above - we have our lovely media to deal with. 

I think I hear this more from politicians than I do the media. They are using the economy as a scare tactic and the more fear they can put in to people they think the better chance they have of being elected.

Hey Justin,

Thank you for sharing some basic statistics.  Ironically, with the rise of the internet, many people are still not performing some basic research to make a clear comparison.