Media Ethics Issues and Cases Chapter 6

Mass Media in a Democratic Society: Keeping a Promise

Back in Sophomore year of high school, my Honors English II class was assigned a research project with an abundance of freedom: we got to pick the topic. I had no idea what to write my lengthy 3 page paper on so I decided to ask a group of my parents friends because - you know - they were adults, and smart, and all that jazz. One of my dad's friends Mr. Kessler began a lively speech about Political Action Committees. My little Sophomore brain had never heard of these so called PACs and was inspired to learn more about something that caused such a lively debate in a circle of adults.

Boy, did I have a lot to learn.

When reading the four criteria to evaluate all political communication, Transparency stuck out at me because the description raises a question: "Does the audience know who is speaking?" this chapter mentions that Political Action Committees are not bound by campaign finance rules and do not provide accurate claims, I struggle now more than ever to access a transparent news story. This democracy was established as a governance "of the people, by the people, for the people" (to quote the Gettysburg Address) but in the face of recent elections, it has shifted to of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations.

For this simple reason I fear that political news is not being covered transparently and I, as a student of voting age looking to make educated decisions in the political arena, do not feel as though I understand the full agenda of political news coverage.

After reading the chapter, I realized that the majority of the information I obtain about a presidential campaign does come from advertising and not concrete news stories. This revelation upset me because I feel as though it is the duty of the news to provide information and it is the duty of the citizen to sift through that information and decide for oneself what is trustworthy.

I have not been fulfilling my duties.

But I guess it isn't fair if I only hate on myself, I understand that the polls - and not the policy - are the focus of political news. So, they aren't fulfilling their duties either. Chapter 6 brought up another interesting thought for me, asking "Is the ad or article empowering or does it contribute to the cacophony of recent political campaigns?" From the ads that I have seen or heard in past elections, I would venture to guess that the answer to this question is a no. I have felt the opposite of empowered.

The bi-polarization of the entire system has left young people like me and my friends either:

• completely and vehemently sure of their political stances, or
• in a spiral of self-doubt that leads to confusion and lack of action and concern.

I regret to inform you that I am in the latter group. To be honest, the mass media and its relationship to the political sphere in the US has led me to neglect to register as a voter. 

But I have hope, social justice can find a place in the news of a democratic society. With the socially responsible view of the media, journalists have the duty to give a voice to a community and the people within it. The ethical and moral compasses of citizens are continually being called into action, it is time that the institutions set in place to run political media use their moral compass as well.