Media and Interest Groups
Mass media is the whole of all forms of media designed to reach a very large audience to include newspapers, television, the internet, radio, and any other instrument which disseminates information to the masses8. Media began with print, and during the time of the Revolutionary War, was the only real method of transferring ideas and opinions to a vast audience. During this time an immensely literate generation, possibly the most literate of all time, came together to forge a new nation, and with them the free flow of ideas proved to be vital in both producing a national cause worth fighting for and mobilizing a nation to act. This was done through vigorous debate in the halls of the First and Second Continental Congresses, with a printed media to capture this “marketplace of ideas” and pass it on to the masses. Those engaged in debate formed a nation based on a simple truth: a representative democracy rested on their trust of a well-informed populous. For this new government to work, and to prevent a return to tyranny, the people must be fully understanding of the happenings in their government in order to make correct decisions as they go to the polls. This need for educated citizens was filled when newspapers operated with integrity and held those in public office accountable. The media, in the days of newspapers as the national news medium, was a good and valued asset to democracy, as it provided this educated citizenry. Today, however, as TV has moved well into the lead as our news source, we see a national media concerned with selling time slots and bringing in more corporate sponsors. We see companies band together to form more powerful organizations, and as the news media increasingly sells out to the highest bidder, we see it have an increasingly negative affect on American democracy, as ideas are no longer transmitted, but simple-minded entertainment is offered as to keep us watching and keep money coming in.
In light of this dismal state of affairs, what is an average citizen to do? Could I get on T.V. myself and rant about the crisis we face if people don't smarten up? Sure, a local access channel may give me some time. I doubt any national news channels would offer me anything more than a thirty second sound bite, and that would probably only happen if I ran naked through the streets first. My point is this. The most readily accessible source of news, television, is concerned not with being helping Americans make an informed decision on social issues. They want to sell commercial time slots. If it bleeds, it leads, and if it thinks, it stinks. That's the mantra for all the major networks. Give me a story in thirty seconds and then we're moving on. Not to mention the blatant liberal slant we see coming from every major news network. The Media Research Center has spent the last twenty years thoroughly documenting the way journalists conduct their business, and how their parent corporations demand certain stories are reported extensively, while others are completely ignored. This is not some conservative conspiracy theory. We get our news, what we base our decisions on when we enter the polls, from a source that wants our money and wants us to vote how they think we should, bending the truth to fit their corporate goals. Even Diane Sawyer, respected newswoman extraordinaire of ABC, recounts a story of how she was laughed at by a courtroom full of people when she was asked if she could be truthful and responded, “That's what journalists do”10. That's a recipe for disaster. Today's news media is having a profoundly negative affect, and, if the internet hadn't shown up to provide very real, very accessible information to the masses, would be ultimately responsible for the collapse of American democracy.
Interest groups are another area where work is needed to change the status quo. Politicians routinely pander to these groups to secure donations in order to buy their next thirty-second T.V. commercial. The lobbying reforms of 1995 where a step towards solving this obvious problem10. Interest groups can be a very positive thing, to be sure. Problems arise when we see unchecked corruption enter into the equation, and the gift-giving and all-expense paid trips led to some seriously questionable actions. Although they are not causing as much damage to our country as the news media, interest groups tend to serve only a specific purpose, or try to attain a particular goal. This narrow focus can prove harmful to the larger populous as a whole, and interest groups must be fully brought into the light to ensure ethical behavior is consistently practiced on both ends.
