Dear Abby,
My media habits...
First and foremost, I'm a TV news junkie. It's rare that I'm home either at 10:00 at night or willing to wake up early enough to catch the morning news, but when I do, I love it. My caveat, however, is that I don't necessarily trust the news. There's always going to be spin - it's inescapable. I'd say that news-oriented media (especially on television) is a resource for information but never education. At the very least, find another source to bolster or refute the statement.
I've also discovered how little I listen to the radio. The Current plays as background noise at work, which (if nothing else) is nice because it is not a sing-along-friendly station. My six-button presets in my car are programmed to The Current, the Minnesota jazz station, or the Minnesota classical station. I do have a newfound love for Jack FM (their tagline being that "they play what they want", and it shows), but all of these stations rarely, if EVER, cut in with commentary or human communication. It's beautiful.
Also, I hate magazines. Too many ads, never enough content. And if you want gender issues, just look at the state of male models today. Blech.
In the end, I think it's really naive to say that one is "above" media because we're constantly barraged with it. It's in us, and no amount of "putting up the blinders" will clean it out of our systems. Instead, I think we all need to remember the culture we live in and to take everything with a grain of salt. America is economically and politically capitalistic; if they're not fighting for your dollars, they at least want your support. I'm not ready to promote a mentality of "trusting no one," but just know that your human capital is a hot commodity for a lot of people/groups.
So don't get lulled to sleep by the flashy pictures.
Comments
I completely agree with your statement that news is not a source of education. VERY true, but I would argue that it isn't much of an informational source either. With all of the personal interest stories and barrage of Hollywood scandal, I rely almost entirely on print media.
I also like your comment about radio and the whole lack of "human communication" being a rare commodity. Hilarious, and also very true. It made me think, though, about how I almost never listen to radio news, but when I do I'm never disappointed. Quality radio is definitely an underrated media source.
Posted by: J Kriegs | September 19, 2007 11:40 AM