The specific role of the media in today’s society is frequently discussed, but one thing everyone agrees on is the idea that community-wide access to accurate information is essential to the health and welfare of a democratic society. Media outlets such as radio, internet, television, and newspapers all provide citizens with the information they use to make decisions regarding who they wish to vote for and which issues they wish to support.
The media thus acts as a kind of the fourth branch of government because it contributes to the natural checks and balances of our society. The media, through such vehicles as CNN and other network channels, acts as the link between people’s personal lives experienced daily to the larger events that occur outside of what they encounter in their everyday routine.
Media outlets such as CNN report on current events but also reflect social values in the choices made regarding what stories to cover as well as the tone of voice and styles used to convey the relevant information. An examination of four stories reported at CNN.com regarding the current recession reveals that it isn’t just the content of the story but the tone and style of the article that conveys an impression of impartiality even though it is subtly supportive and optimistic.
This is perhaps most apparent in a very recent article entitled “He’s laid off, you’re not – so now what?” by John DeVore (2009). This article is located in the Money and Main Street Living section and discusses a growing trend in American society in which men, the majority of individuals laid off in the current recession, are reverting into one of two major stereotypes. According to the author, they are either reverting to a version of the angry and confused frat boy or they are turning themselves into a caricature of the 1950s housewife.
Rather than backing up his claims with any kind of outside sources, though, the author simply instructs the presumably female reader on what she should expect and how she should react to best support her man. The information is delivered with an understanding, slightly humorous style that suggests sympathetic confidence. This can be heard in numerous places throughout the article such as when the author says, “Here’s what you can expect if your man is enjoying the distinctly humiliating process of collecting unemployment” (DeVore, 2009).
Here the author is sarcastic regarding the economy, sympathetic toward the man who’s lost his position, and conspiratorial with the woman who is reading his article. While the author seems to know what he’s talking about and appears to be providing relatively neutral information, he allows his tone and style to communicate empathy with his readers and gentle support for both male and female audiences.
Another story reported by Joe Sterling, “Finally in the land of the free, but where are the jobs?” (2009), the content of the story seems innocent enough but the choice of story obliquely addresses a larger issue causing a great deal of contention in today’s economy. Many Americans today are under the impression that immigrants moving into our country are taking much-needed jobs away from American-born citizens and feel a righteous rage against immigrants as a result (Rector, 2006).
As more Americans lose their jobs, these concerns become intensified. Sterling’s story simply reports the facts regarding the common problem many refugees are encountering upon reaching America’s shores – they are not able to find jobs. Just like thousands of Americans, these refugees, many of whom are well-educated and even fluent in English, are not able to find jobs that will provide them with the means to sustain themselves while the resources available to them are very limited. The article uses a number of first-hand accounts of refugees and experts in the field of refugee services to make his point, giving the article a great deal of credibility and seeming impartiality while the subject itself encourages readers to take a closer look at the immigration issues.
This same approach can be discovered when looking over the titles of articles on the recession dating from late April. The direction of reporting is consistently focused on illustrating how the wealthy have been impacted by the recession more than the effects as they are being felt on the street. An example of an article of this type is “High-end coffee business slows during the recession” by Curt Merrill (2009). The article utilizes the expert opinions of individuals within the coffee market to examine how much the recession is affecting their sales, presuming that this is a strong indicator of how the recession is affecting the upper class.
While it gives a token nod to the growers who supply the beans for this market, the story is really about spending, offering the perspective that people are still buying high-end products. In making this contention, the news agency is again offering hope that the recession is not as bad as other media outlets might suggest because some store owners are actually considering expansion and wealthy people continue to purchase luxury goods. Yet, while the author points out how “Business is good enough that Riffel plans to open a second location,” he also points out how business services such as landlords, developers, and lenders are more desperate to find clients. This is the only indication within the article that anyone might be hurting.
Approaching the question of the recession from an even more impartial approach, A. Pawlowski presents the transcript of a short interview held with financial expert Ali Velshi in the article “Real stock rebound or a fool’s rally?” (2009). In this article, it is immediately established that the media outlet is attempting to convey an impartial stance regarding the recession by using the interview transcript format. However, this is also immediately refuted as the opening sentence of the article first sympathizes with readers, “if you’ve been afraid to check your portfolio or open your 401(k) statements in the past few months”, and then offers hope, “now might be the time to peek” (2009).
Here, the format provides credibility while the content is skewed to offer inspiration and hope to the reader. While the article discusses the various elements of the current economy from a realistic perspective, the questions asked are geared to provide a sense of optimism. For example, one of the questions asks, “The stock market has been on the rise lately. Should people be encouraged?” In asking a question in this way, the interviewer almost forces a positive and uplifting response from the interviewee. In addition to the somewhat ‘loaded’ questions, the expert used in the interview was a member of the CNN staff. Although this was clearly indicated within the article, the format of the article gives the reader the impression of an unattached expert.
Each of these articles provides the sense that they are impartially reporting on the news, but also convey a sense of hopefulness and encouragement regarding the current economy. As this survey of articles has revealed, the method by which this is done is through a variety of tactics. While one author might present a very formalized style and professional format as in the provision of a transcript, another may provide heavily documented stories using a number of credible experts.
However, in each case, there is some element that pulls at the sympathies of the reader and conveys a sense of reassurance that things will get better. This is done through the tone of voice as the author relates his ideas, through the slant of the story as questions are asked, and through the type of content being focused on, whether it is intended to diffuse contention or to reassure that spending is still strong.
Understanding this, CNN emerges as a relatively biased news agency in that it encourages us as readers to believe that things are looking up without actually providing a great deal of information or expert advice to back up this impression. Even though they are largely considered to be impartial and unbiased, it is clear that CNN has an underlying agenda consistent among its various authors and intended to inspire confidence among the American public.
Works Cited
DeVore, John. “He’s laid off, you’re not – so now what?” Money and Main Street. CNN. (2009). Web.
Merrill, Curt. “High-end coffee business slows during recession.” Money and Main Street. CNN. (2009). Web.
Pawlowski, A. “Real stock rebound or a fool’s rally?” Living. CNN. (2009). Web.
Sterling, Joe. “Finally in the land of the free, but where are the jobs?” US. CNN. (2009). Web.