Media & Politics

The fairness and reliability of the news media and press have been questioned over and over again since the very first newspaper report came out. Today, the media takes on all different forms, such as newspapers, magazines, television reports, and even the Internet. Just how balanced is it? Electronic journalism, just like any other media source, can at times be biased and unreliable. However, if used from a credible source, it can also help inform people about important issues surrounding Americans today.

When the radio and the television were invented, they put a whole new spin on how the "news" in society worked. Not only could live (and visual) news reports be made, but broadcasts as well. Broadcasts allowed public officials to speak with live audiences without their remarks being tampered with by editors and reporters. This new feature was particularly intriguing to politicians. The only problem was that it was very easy to ignore a television broadcast. All a person had to do was leave the room, or just change the channel all together. The television broadcasts also cost considerably more than the newspaper articles. Plus, a change or addition to the newspaper is much easier than in a broadcast.

"People turn to television, radio and their Web sites for news and information. And this won't change. Whether the economy is good or bad, news will be in demand--a vital element of our daily lives" (Stone, V., 2002). The television is one of the most frequently used news sources. Americans use the morning and evening news to catch themselves up on what important issues went on during the day. However, as previously mentioned, television broadcasts aren't cheap. Therefore, people such as politicians have to do something to stand out in order to gain free air - time on the news program. " Thus, to obtain the advantages of electronic media coverage, public officials must do something sufficiently bold or colorful to gain free access to radio and television news - or they must find the money to purchase radio and television time" (Wilson and DiIulio, 2001, pg. 249). The "free access" usually comes in the form of a sound bite. A sound bite is " a video clip of a presidential contender speaking" (Wilson and DiIulio, 2001, pg. 250). Statistics show that the average length of a sound bite has dropped from forty-two seconds to less than 10 seconds from 1968 to 1988.