By Georgia Kemmett, UM Sophomore
Politics and the news never seemed to mix well to me. Every time I turn on the TV to a news channel, especially recently, it always seems like everyone hates everyone except themselves; and, even then, sometimes it does seem like they hate themselves.
After reading “When Americans Lost Faith in the News” it makes total sense. Everyone really does hate everyone. Despite the 5 rights of freedom bolted down in the First Amendment, our government really doesn’t like when we exercise any of the freedoms. Yet, those freedoms are so essential to our society. I mean, the founding fathers protected them first for a reason.
In times of great uncertainty it’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust. So, when our country entered the Vietnam War, it makes perfect sense that the public grew skeptical of the news as everyone’s story, even the government who was calling the shots, was different. It was during this time when politics and the news really came together, which is where I see the mistake occurring. The two have become so synonymous that the main message and goal has gotten lost in the other. The news is supposed to report the facts to Americans while the government is supposed to work together, despite party differences, to perform the greater good for the nation.
Like mentioned in our discussions before, the article slightly hits on the fact that the news has become run like a business. Although it is a business due to the monetary factors of printing and producing the news, many journalists and broadcasters have gotten lost in the mere aspect of keeping their jobs, and more importantly, keeping their flow of money into their pockets.
The whole point of the news is to inform the people no matter the stance. Our founding fathers wanted citizens involved in our government, one of the main reasons why we installed a democracy for our choice of governing. The only thing citizens asked for was freedom to express themselves within our government, and wanted to be fairly represented. If we don’t know what’s going on in said government, how are we supposed to elect officials who represent our needs and wants?
Personally, it seems like the press can never catch a break. Someone is always upset, but the truth isn’t always necessarily pretty. If the government isn’t happy with how the press is painting them, then the people are angry that the press isn’t being entirely honest. It’s a repetitive cycle that never seems to end.
In-order to create trust in the media we have to get away from political and party slander. The news needs to become more neutral and find a way to balance business with basic facts. As a country, we’ve grown greedy, especially the elites. Instead of gluttonizing after money we need to focus on what’s really going on within the country. Prioritize the truth instead of the depth of our pockets.