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Part II-The Ebb and Flow of The Government-Media Power Play
by Joseph Earnest January 20, 2012
Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas — The question of whether or not there can be a loyal and enduring interchange between the media and the political realm is not clear cut. Loyalty by both parties has to be earned and demonstrated. Some media houses are loyal to certain entities because that's where they get funding; others are loyal due to the desire for self-preservation; while others maintain neutrality and objectivity because it is the professional thing to do.
It serves no purpose to conduct an investigative story pointing out only the faults of the subject, without highlighting the positive aspects. What good does it do for patients if a doctor shows them all the poisonous plants without showing them the edible ones?
To constantly focus on delivering one-sided news to viewers or readers by the media is like a rich man who is imperceptibly ruining himself. Yet that is what happens in the real world. There comes a point where one has to have integrity toward material, or loyalty to one's calling.
The great Roman writer and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero, tells the story of his friend Marcus Pacuvius who produced a play, and one particular scene received the most applause from the audience. In that particular scene, the king was approached by two men: Orestes and Pylades. Orestes was supposed to be put to death, but when the king saw both men, he did not know which one was Orestes. Pylades claimed that he was Orestes, in order that he should be the to be put to death, in the place of his friend. The real Orestes, however, continued to insist on his true identity. The entire crowd stood and cheered, although it was only a play.
Here then, was a case of nature asserting its power. People were applauding in others what they had not been given the opportunity to achieve for themselves. They admired the loyalty they saw in others that they themselves hadn't been able to demonstrate. Yet how often does the media air stories that accentuate the positive in an individual?
We live in a world where almost everything is commercially driven and whatever it takes to get the attention of viewers is what will be broadcast. Just because a person appears to lead an honorable life filled with honorable deeds doesn't mean he or she will be viewed by the media in an honorable light. Some say it's the reason why many good men and women refuse to join politics because they know they cannot escape the scrutiny of the media and its propensity to act viciously toward those who do not fit a particular construct.
Another observation about the government-media complex is what the media decides is newsworthy due to the cultural spectrum of the viewers. What may be acceptable in one culture, may be considered a vice in another, therefore only by discernment, can one accurately convey the intended message, to the target audience.
On Sept. 21, 1737, Prince Frederick of Prussia who later became Frederick the Great, wrote to his close friend Voltaire, commanding him to give an account of his observations about justice in different cultures. In October that same year, Voltaire wrote back and explained that nobody is born with the idea that he must be just; but God has arranged men's organs that at a certain stage they agree upon this truth.
He explained that, "Since our society could not exist without the ideas of justice and injustice, God gave us the means of acquiring them. Different customs will never allow us to attach the same idea of justice to the same notions. What is a crime in one culture, may be considered a virtue in another. All societies therefore will not have the same laws, but no society will be without laws. Man therefore has been given everything needed to live in society, just as he has been given teeth to chew, a stomach to digest, and a soul to judge."
In
the next eight months, there will be those who watch or read stories in
the media and say it is biased. There are some who will be running
for office who will charge the media as being unfair. Some might conclude
that the allegiance of the corporate media is to large corporations. It
is incumbent upon you the viewer or reader, in the coming months, to judge
for yourself as to whether what is presented before you is empty of truths,
or is pregnant with substance, as we all embark on voting for the next president. Add
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Related article: Part I -The Government Media Complex
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