Objective Mass Media-Is That Real?
...not satisfied with the way he is portrayed, he might stop providing journalists with information. That is why police, which is one of the most important sources of information, is often reported positively in the news. After being collected from the sources, the information might be distorted by journalists. Their framing of news is undoubtedly influenced by their personal opinion. Hardly any journalist is likely to write things which contradict his own beliefs. What is more, the selection of news is commonly based on newsworthiness. The journalists are forced to choose the information which is found interesting or amusing by the audience for economic reasons. Therefore, ethical principles about fairness and about reporting everything that is relevant exist more in theory than in reality. In addition to the sources of information and the journalists, the advertisers also have a strong influence on news contents. It is perfectly understandable under the consideration that newspapers, radio and TV stations get most of their profits from advertising. If to take a look, for example, at magazines that carry tobacco advertisements, there are hardly no articles to be found about harmful effects of smoking, although less important health issues might be covered extensively. Moreover, the magazines might even encourage articles that form a stereotype of a charming smoker. That is because in order to attract advertisers, the media often avoids any criticism of commercial products and discusses topics relevant to the advertised products. And the last force, which has got a great impact on the production of news, is the audience. It has been noticed that topics like danger, food and sex make people pay more attention than others. Some scientists claim that it is becaus...