In our class, we consistently look at the different roles the media plays. Historically, the media was used to advocate for specific causes and political parties. Its role was to spread particular ideas despite whatever bias and subjectivity came along with this method. As time went on, the media took on a very different function, one that defended the governed more than the governing. They became the watchdog, whose sole responsibility was keeping the government intact, investigating if certain pieces of evidence seemed contradictory or inconsistent. Nowadays, most read or watch the media for an objective perspective of what is going on in the world. They want straightforward facts in which they can color their own opinion, in which they can trust their sources to be just and true in order to come to their own conclusions.
However this is most often not the case. There always seems to an agenda, a perspective that’s advocated for, and a specific goal for their audience. The media has received a negative connotation, and not unjustly so. In high-strung political times like these, it’s sometimes hard to see what good the media does in fact do. I was sent this article about a yiddush (yay – Jewish connection) blog covering a CBS story which ultimately led to a Kidney transplant for a little girl in Israel. I admit it is slightly corny, and a little “awww”-esque, but in a time where the media takes a lot of negative slack, I think it may do a thing or two of good to notice the small good stories that sometimes shine through.
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