Mass Media and the "Death" of Hard-Hitting Journalism

In today's society, media concentration is an unavoidably present topic. With media moguls such as News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch at the head ofheading multiple broadcasting stations, many seem to feel that the media is becoming heavily influenced by said giants, leaving little room for smaller, locally owned broadcasting stations and newspapers. This, according to some, is headed up by the United States, who will eventually take over the media. To top it all off, the agenda-setting and gatekeeping done by these massive powerhouses will be the driving force behind the death of hard-hitting journalism. In spite of the fact that the ever-present figure of globalized media can be intimidating, there lies no immediate danger of the death of hard-hitting journalism.

The argument that the larger corporations will eventually eat up the smaller ones is in no way realistic. The larger papers such as the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal Constitution may be some of the most commonly referenced papers, but one must take into account the large amount of local news that takes place every day. The same goes for television stations. It is the job of the mass media to report the more grandiose, wide scale occurrences of our day-to-day lives while the smaller, family-owned papers and broadcasts cater to the local needs of a local community. Just imagine if USA Today attempted to report on global affairs while giving equal focus to the happenings of every city in every state in the nation. It would be impossible and a complete waste of paper.

In all of this, the United States seems to be at the forefront, establishing a westernized media world empire. This is not at all the case. Many countries, such as Japan and India, have every intention of maintaining their culture rather than adopting an American way of life (assuming that American culture would permeate into various nations via the media). For example, the Japanese culture which holds diligence and respect in such high regard might not find the snide antics of Bart Simpson as appealing as the average American family. To allow such contradictory material into the culture would be all but detrimental in their eyes.

This globalized media agenda-setting and gatekeeping will supposedly lead to the demise of hard-hitting journalism. Unfortunately, those who predict this base their stories off of media rulers, such as William Randolph Hearst of the early 20th century, who had their own political agendas. While there are ulterior motives in agenda-setting and gatekeeping, there is nowhere near the amount of intense twisting of news that we seeas is seen in Citizen Kane. At worst, the more biased newspapers and broadcasting stations work at subliminally portraying a politician of the opposite party in a negative light.

All in all, the pressure put on the smaller media by giant corporations is not nearly as large as some make it out to be. Foreign cultures are in no way in danger of being overrun by American corporations. Not only this, but smaller media outlets will remain necessary for the output of local news that larger corporations don't have space to report. Through a bit of careful analysis, it can clearly be seen that this panic about the mass media is little more than self-inflicted mass confusion.

Weblogs

Throughout history, communication and expression has been limited to letters, personal interaction, and, most recently, the telephone. All these methods of communication, though, are private. Those who wanted their opinion to be heard on a larger scale needed some form of writing prowess, musical gift, or the fortune of being born into the upper class. The weblog, in its various forms, is a magnificent method of global communication and expression, as it offers the average person the opportunity to be heard in his Atlanta neighborhood as well as in a home in St. Petersburg, Russia.
One of the biggest factors in the importance of blogging is its universally level playing field. One with poor to average writing skill has just as much of an opportunity to be heard as a direct descendant of George Herbert. Formerly, one who did not possess a natural gift or all the right connections could not be heard past his village or neighborhood. This does not mean that one who writes on a third grade level will be as readily heard as the one whose words flow more eloquently. There are obviously bloggers in who are much more widely read than others, but the mere fact that the work of the less experienced is published on a worldwide community is a gigantic step in the direction of equal opportunity.
Another even more incredible aspect of the internet community is its global outreach. Those who possess a common cause or interest in different corners of the world can now come together as a local community. This newfound opportunity can give some the ability to share interests and express themselves to others in ways which they could not with their local peer group. For example, if one who has a fondness for playing the violin lives in a community which reveres styles of music such as hip hop or punk, he or she could not enjoy the pleasures of conversing on the topic of said stringed instrument. However, with the joy of weblogs, this person might wander on the internet, searching for a peer group centered on violin technique. A wonderful feature of the average weblog community is forums, or web pages designed for discussion on a single topic. In light of this, this person might search for, or start, a forum for violinists, and whereas in his or her community this person might not be able to find a fellow violinist, now he or she is sharing violin techniques and discussing famous violinists with a friend in Shanghai.
In conclusion, the global weblog community does, in fact, offer many outlets for communication and expression which were formerly unattainable. It allows for equal readability as well as a global network through which people who would otherwise have never met can come together and share ideas.

Cairncross?

Although Cairncross’s view on home-office intermixing holds some truth in light of the newfound ability to work at home via the internet, the office still remains the principle workplace. Among her other various predictions, Frances Cairncross anticipated that with the advancement of the Internet and other forms of telecommunication, the office would not only find its way into the home, but would somehow become intermixed with it. She believed that the home would become a place of work, and the office a place of rest and recreation. Cairncross’s views were undoubtedly backed by the then-current advancement of the internet in the late 20^th century which gave the typical American worker the opportunity to accomplish at home what could formerly be done only at the workplace. This created a great desire to master the internet. 

However, it can be seen that, in spite of technological advancements which make working at home easier, the average American still prefers to keep the home a separate entity from the office.

Sweet Action

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