The impact of news media on the life of society and forming people’s worldview should not be underestimated. In fact, media are one of the primary sources affecting the way most individuals perceive the world because they represent the primary events and choose the manner for feeding information. For this reason, there are always questions regarding the quality of the news. Do news media provide true facts or distort reality and what is their influence on the American culture?
The news media are often seen as a tool for raising awareness and creating particular moods in society both negative and positive. Because they are deployed for shaping mindset, it is paramount to identify whether the information media have social responsibility. First of all, it should be noted that this responsibility should be viewed in light of journalism.
That said, the social responsibility of the news media is based on the internal code of ethics of journalists and recognizing the fact that they are responsible for every story they make up and publish as well as the credibility of every single fact mentioned. The foundation of the information media social responsibility is the combination of five requirements to press such as truthfulness, reflecting the current state of events in the world, representing values of society, providing access to information and knowledge, and, finally, operating as a forum for communication and sharing views (Sandoval, 2014).
From this perspective, news media are socially responsible. There are several ways to prove that this statement is true. Because media are the fourth estate, they greatly affect the lives of ordinary people. First of all, they are responsible for the welfare of society. It derives from the requirement of truthfulness. Think, for example, about some kind of industrial accident, especially one having a potentially hazardous influence on health. If the news media does not report on the incident, they will be morally responsible for hundreds of affected lives. Another similar example is informing about military developments or social upheavals. Even though there might be justifiable reasons for hiding this information, e.g. maintaining peace and order, it is morally wrong because these events have a direct influence on society.
In addition to it, news media shape political opinions. Providing the audience with particular details and avoiding mentioning some significant facts, the media are used as a tool for political propaganda and obtaining power. They are deployed as the platform for imposing views on a particular person or party creating a positive or negative image based on which ordinary people decide whom to vote in or out.
That said, sometimes journalists divide themselves from people they write for becoming closer to those whom they write about (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2015). It is another aspect of social responsibility because creating a necessary image involves distorting real facts and making up fake stories. These decisions are usually motivated by the opportunity to get higher salaries instead of remembering the true calling of journalism.
Even though the very nature of the media remained unchanged for centuries, the methods for feeding information have evolved. The accelerated development of the newest technologies and introducing the Internet to everyday life has greatly influenced the way media operates. Nowadays, there are numerous channels for news distribution, which is no longer limited to newspapers, magazines, or TV shows. Nowadays, the news is consumed from tablets, smartphones, and laptops.
This transformation referred to as media convergence has changed journalism as well. Today, it has become easier to report on most recent events by pressing just one bottom on a laptop or tablet. Moreover, news can be shared via social networks such as Facebook or Twitter. However, the most significant breakthrough of the implementation of the newest technologies into news media is the ability to share the information from any corner of the globe for the journalists as well as the opportunity to obtain different perspectives on local events for the readers (Bradshaw & Rohumaa, 2013).
In addition to it, people no longer rely on journalists for receiving news because they are also free to reflect on any development informing other readers about what they consider important and interesting. However, for this reason, it becomes close to impossible to create unique news content (Quinn & Lamble, 2008).
To sum up, news media are not only socially responsible; they also have a significant influence on the development of American culture. Nowadays, society is oversaturated with news and information because, basically, every individual has the source of unlimited knowledge in one’s pocket. It brings up the question of relevance and credibility of the provided information. Because the mass media are used for imposing particular opinions and creating particular moods, it has become a challenge to remain unbiased.
That said, most people believe that they should lead particular lifestyles and set particular objective liking particular people and places. This oversaturation with information has highlighted the necessity of developing media literacy in order to maintain individuality by filtering news and content.
References
Bradshaw, P., & Rohumaa, L. (2013). Journalism Handbook: Skills to survive and thrive in the digital era. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2015). Media & Culture: Mass communication in a digital age (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Macmillan.
Quinn, S., & Lamble, S. (2008). Online newsgathering: Research and reporting for journalism. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.
Sandoval, M. (2014). From corporate to social media: Critical perspectives on corporate social responsibility in the media and communications industry. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.