Debate Question 6: Does the media have an obligation to “provide citizens with the information they need to hold the government accountable” (Hayes, 207)? Are they doing this successfully? The media plays a large role in informing the public about government officials and current events affecting the nation at large. Citizens vote for elected officials running for office and the media focuses coverage on these officials and their lives in order to better inform the American public. The media does have an obligation to better inform the public and needs to improve its ability to more effectively check the government in order to improve the government’s capacity for effectiveness. This check system would actively force government officials
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This comparative study compares and contrasts different media systems including the system of public service, the US market system, and the UK dual system (Curran et Al, pg. 5). “Ratings-conscious American networks also allocate significant time to soft news, both foreign and domestic (37 percent) as does British television news (40 percent). This compares with much lower proportions in Finland and Denmark.” (Curran et al, pg. 12). From the study, the market system the US employs delivers more soft news than other countries with democracies and is comparable to the UK. Soft news typically does not focus on substantial politics and is more commercial and audience friendly. This is done to generate viewers and ultimately business. This system is bound to inform the public to a lesser extent due to the content being reported on. The study by Curran and co-authors also conducted a public knowledge survey. “For example, 67 percent of American respondents were unable to identify Nicolas Sarkozy as the president of France, even though they were tipped the correct answer in one of their five responses.” (Curran et. al, pg. 13). This statistic shows that there is a disconnect between the American public and the rest of the world. The media should be able to connect the country to the rest of the world to a better extent than this. “The one area where Americans held …show more content…
“A minority of journalists considered themselves “advocates” of the public and adopted a “missionary approach” to their work”. (Fengler, pg. 826). Does the media system believe in itself to get the job done if only a minority of the journalists believe they can make a difference? “Among this faction were the few well-known media reporters and media critics, who were confident that they could improve the media’s service to the public by holding journalists accountable.” (Fengler, pg. 826). If the media is struggling to hold itself accountable in its role of watch dog and informing the public, how can it hold the government accountable for its actions? This is where the media needs to improve in order to more effectively do this. Fengler’s study shows that the media system is in flux and not
This comparative study compares and contrasts different media systems including the system of public service, the US market system, and the UK dual system (Curran et Al, pg. 5). “Ratings-conscious American networks also allocate significant time to soft news, both foreign and domestic (37 percent) as does British television news (40 percent). This compares with much lower proportions in Finland and Denmark.” (Curran et al, pg. 12). From the study, the market system the US employs delivers more soft news than other countries with democracies and is comparable to the UK. Soft news typically does not focus on substantial politics and is more commercial and audience friendly. This is done to generate viewers and ultimately business. This system is bound to inform the public to a lesser extent due to the content being reported on. The study by Curran and co-authors also conducted a public knowledge survey. “For example, 67 percent of American respondents were unable to identify Nicolas Sarkozy as the president of France, even though they were tipped the correct answer in one of their five responses.” (Curran et. al, pg. 13). This statistic shows that there is a disconnect between the American public and the rest of the world. The media should be able to connect the country to the rest of the world to a better extent than this. “The one area where Americans held …show more content…
“A minority of journalists considered themselves “advocates” of the public and adopted a “missionary approach” to their work”. (Fengler, pg. 826). Does the media system believe in itself to get the job done if only a minority of the journalists believe they can make a difference? “Among this faction were the few well-known media reporters and media critics, who were confident that they could improve the media’s service to the public by holding journalists accountable.” (Fengler, pg. 826). If the media is struggling to hold itself accountable in its role of watch dog and informing the public, how can it hold the government accountable for its actions? This is where the media needs to improve in order to more effectively do this. Fengler’s study shows that the media system is in flux and not