Sensationalism and the Media free essay sample

We curse it, but we can’t stop following it. Any conversation about media causes controversy. Although most would agree that the media exists to serve the people, we still need to draw the line somewhere between fact and reality. But where to draw that line? Didn’t we hurdle over it long ago? I have to believe that all bets were off this past May 21st. If this date doesn’t sound familiar to you, it was the well-touted Rapture, or Judgment Day. That was according to Harold Camping, a very wealthy, very old man, who claimed to have interpreted the Bible down to an exact date. He bought advertising in a big way and succeeded in gaining attention and notoriety. So we heard about the Rapture and we read about it. We tweeted and we posted. Some people had parties in anticipation. Then the date came†¦ and went. And we were all still here. We will write a custom essay sample on Sensationalism and the Media or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Plenty of people found this amusing and almost quaint. But what about the people who committed suicide in anticipation? Or quit their jobs? Or abandoned their families? Clearly they believed Camping’s prophecies, but is it fair to say that he – or anyone else – is at fault? Were these people manipulated by a crazy man or by a true believer? Were they manipulated by the media? I think the biggest fault lies within us, both individually and collectively. We live in a media age where speed is everything. If we look back fifty years or more, this scenario would have played out very differently. In 1961, the news couldn’t have traveled as quickly or as extensively. Stories could die before they had serious reach. Now with the press of a Send button, a story can travel around the world at the speed of light. That’s what I think happened. These believers were bombarded with â€Å"news† from many sources that purported to be information about a real, imminent event. Maybe the media should have done more, but how do you vet a prediction? And this is where the message broke down. Knowingly or not, people used their best judgment to decide whether Camping’s message was true or a hoax. Ultimately, interpretation was a matter of individual choice, no doubt colored by each person’s experience, knowledge, and personal belief. Some may argue that the media should have suppressed the story, so as to not propagate this message. Yet censorship is hardly the answer. Making such a decision should never be left up to the media. It is their job to report news and ours to digest it. We are consumers of media and, like consumers of anything else, we need to use our best judgment. When gathering information, we should read and research a variety of sources. We should talk to friends and people we respect. The bottom line is, interpreting the news is caveat emptor – let the buyer beware. To put a local twist on this, take the resignation of Dr. Peter Gorman, the Superintendent of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). The story was tweeted immediately after Gorman announced his departure. What if the media decided we shouldn’t know? It might be too much of a distraction. Or it could cause a backlash to CMS’s budget cuts. How long could it be kept secret? Each of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to be discriminating media consumers. As children, we are read and told stories. As we grow, we read them ourselves. It’s how societies share culture and morals, norms and values. Yet, we don’t take all of them to be 100% true. At some point, personal responsibility and choice kick in. We accept what seems right and true to us, and we do that by thinking critically, whether we realize it or not. We need to keep in mind the good the media was created to serve. And in the process, decide what is real. Remember media is available for our consumption on our terms. Think of it as a buffet, not a situation of being forced to sit at the dinner table until you’ve finished every bite. As consumers, we need to make good choices. Just because it’s out there doesn’t mean it’s true, it’s necessary or even relevant. Think about that when the next big â€Å"thing† breaks. Will you believe it?