Communication in the Twenty-first Century

1543 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Roles of media in democratic society

The history of communication is a long and glorious story from the primitive carvings of ancient peoples to the flat bed press, the web perfecting press to the high speed presses of today that churn out news for the maintenance of the democracy. The United States has been dependent on accurate information ever since the inception of this great nation. Information made men free and challenged all those who wished to suppress the news to live up to the democratic ideals upon which this nation was founded. In fact information is so important to this democracy that the Bill of Rights begins with the axiom of a free press. In countless countries throughout the world where fledgling democracies have attempted to flourish, those that would suppress freedom of speech, attack newspaper offices first because it is the intrepid newspaper reporters and editors who bring the news to the people. Now more than ever these harbingers of truth need to be heard.

Consider the current headlines. A Tracy woman killed an eight year old girl. Who found out she was the killer? The answer is as plain as black and white: a reporter who interviewed the suspect found inconsistencies in her story and reported these inconsistencies to the police (Bulwa, Fagan). So it was not the police that found the murderer. It was not an aware neighbor who led the police to the perpetrator. It was not an investigative team from the FBI that uncovered the culprit. The young journalist from the local Tracy newspaper researched, asked the right questions and discovered inconsistencies that ultimately led to the arrest of the killer. This same sort of investigation led the revolutionary journalists to print headlines that read "No taxation without representation". This same ...

... middle of paper ...

...2009: Web. 5 March 2010. hillsboroargus/2009/04/fingers_pointed_at_verizon_aft.html>. Cote, John and Taylor, Michael. “250,000 Reward in Phone Cable Vandalism.” San Francisco Chronicle 11 April 2009: A1. Web. 5 March 2010. article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/11/MNJB170JM7.DTL>. Emery, Edwin. The Press America. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1988. Print.

Robinson, Sara. “Cut in Fiber Cable Disrupts Internet Traffic Nationwide.” New York Times 30 September 1999: Web. 5 March 2010. .

Tran, Mark. “Internet Access Cut Off in Burma.” Manchester Guardian 12 April 2009: Web.

5 March 2010. .

“Two Undersea Internet Cables Off Egypt, UAE Repaired.” Reuters. The Times of India 12 April 2009: Web. 5 March 2010. .

Show More
Related

  • By George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, And Robert L. Lineberry

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Pulitzer And Joseph Hearst

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Prime Minister of Spain once told an American, “The newspapers in your country seem to be more powerful than the government.” This statement was never more true than in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. The rulers of the New York newspaper empire, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, battled against one another in the ultimate test of journalism. With a real war on the horizon, these men fought to produce the most sensational stories Americans had ever read; and, as a result, they brought forth a new age in the American newspaper business, an age of fighting for the little guy, and beating back tyranny one paper at a time.

    Read More

  • Horse Race Journalism Essay

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    Media finds its central role in the democratic debate in providing information, analysis, and a diversity of perspectives to the public. In recent years, with what is known as a media revolution, the amount of telecommunication outlets has increased dramatically. Often called “a product of healthy market competition,” the media revolution has theoretically expanded the public’s access to a multitude of facts, opinions, and general information (Miroff, et al. 2015). However, with a

    Read More

  • La-La Land American Ignorance

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    Epstein, Edward J. News From Nowhere: Television and the News, Vintage, New York NY. 1973, pp. 16; Pearson, David. “The Media and Government Deception.” Propaganda Review. Spring 1989, pp. 6-11.

    Read More

  • All the President’s Men

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    The old proverb “the Pen is mightier than the sword” (Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy) still holds significance in protecting of public rights. Words such as freedom, and liberty engendered the idea for democracy. Such words formed into sentences and paragraphs enlightened the public to take action against tyranny and corruption. Freedom of the press is what ensured the general masses of their public rights. The exemplary case in which the freedom of the press played a role was the endeavors of Woodward and Bernstein to unravel the corrupted politics behind the Watergate Scandal. The movie All the President’s Men depicts the proceedings of the Watergate scandal, the scheme to attack the crux of democracy: “ the open election”. Also how the two journalists of the Washington Post progressed to unveil the relationship between the Watergate Burglary and the White House. On one hand, the movie represents the role of the media in its obligation to convey the truth to the masses. On the other hand, the movie reflects political corruption and conspiracy. The accomplishment of Woodward and Bernstein presents the importance of the interaction between the media, the government, and the general masses of society. The role of the media is not only to intervene between the State and the public, but also to take account of public ideas and to apply those ideas to new policies. Also, the media acts as a safeguard to prevent the corruption of the State. Thus, the Watergate scandal signifies the significance of the media as an intermediary between the government and the public mass.

    Read More

  • Does The Government Control Our Rights?

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    As in speech, technology has provided another excuse for government intrusion in the press. The Secret Service can confiscate computers, printers, hard disks, and mail from electronic services they do not consider a press. Entire stores of books and videotapes are seized because of sexually explicit material. The Bill of Rights and the First Amendment exists to protect speech and press that is unpopular. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression (Steele).” If unpopular ideas did not exist, we would not need the First Amendment.

    Read More

  • The Telecommunications Act Of 1996

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    Economides, N. (1998, September 1998). The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its Impact. Retrieved June 18,2006, from http://raven.stern.nyu.edu/networks/telco96.html

    Read More

  • Organic Farming vs Factory Farming

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... Internet. The Internet. The Internet. 20 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Public Journalism vs. Traditional Journalism

    2245 Words  | 5 Pages

    Much is being discovered when the public, also known as the consumers and recipients of the news, share their views on journalistic practices. One might suggest that traditional journalism has, in due course, come to an end. Although, there are definitely problems that the public runs into with public journalism taking over. A few of those arguments include their content, the journalists, and the effects that it has on their public audience.

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Media on Politics

    4123 Words  | 9 Pages

    Americans look to the press to provide the information they need to make informed political choices. How well the press lives up to its responsibility to provide this information has a direct impact upon Americans: how they think about and act upon the issues that confront them.

    Read More

  • How Has Technology Changed Communication?

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We barely have time to pause and reflect these days on how far communicating through technology has progressed. Without even taking a deep breath, we’ve transitioned from email to chat to blogs to social networks and more recently to twitter” (Alan 2007). Communicating with technology has changed in many different ways. We usually “get in touch” with people through technology rather than speaking with them face to face. The most popular way people discuss things, with another individual, is through our phones. Phones have been around way before I was born in 1996, but throughout the years, they have developed a phone called a “smart phone”. The smart phone has all kinds of new things that we can use to socialize with our peers. On these new phones, we can connect with our friends or family on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Technology has also developed Skype, a place you can talk with people on the computer with instant voice and video for hours. The new communication changes have changed drastically from the new advances made in technology through our smart phones, social networking sites, and Skype.

    Read More

  • How Communication Has Changed in the Last Twenty Years

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phones have changed over the past twenty years and have had a positive and negative effect on people. Man kind as find many ways to communicate and stay connected with each other and the most common way is by a cellphone. Phones Cellphones have become one apart of our daily lives and some people just cannot live without them. In fact people use them more like computes than an actual phone itself. Most people let their phones control their lives and if their not carful it could have some serious consequences. Phones continue to get more and more advanced as time moves forward. However, in the beginning phones had a tough time getting out to the public however, if it was not for the first step into technology we would not have the phones we have today.

    Read More

  • Video Transmission via Satellite

    3414 Words  | 7 Pages

    Richtel, Matt. "Start-Ups Pin Hopes on an Internet Route Through the Sky." New York Times, 30 November 1998.

    Read More

  • Communication in Society Today

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Communication is an interdependent process of sending, receiving, and understanding messages. The definition implies that the components of the communication process cannot be examined separately. Rather, the relationship exists between the sender and the receiver, as well as the environment of the communication event, must be viewed as a whole. According to this perspective, if any of the components and circumstances change (that is, the number of individuals involved in the interaction, seating arrangements, or the time of the day) the communication event is altered. Communication is an ongoing process; we never stop sending and receiving messages. As we will discover, communication is a dynamic process, a process that changes from one communication setting to the next. Although it is difficult to predict, the ways of interpreting communication, certain components are always present in the communication process.

    Read More

  • Communication: A Reflection Essay On Communication

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    Now the communication class is almost over I have realize how important is to have good communication skills, and how it is key to life. I have learned many things in this class for example ways to approach strangers. Another thing that I have learned how to handle conflict and how sometimes it could be good it not always bad and many others. The way I look things have change to have reach my goals. This class was has also taught me how to look in the “other” perceptive, and not being selfish by just seeing one side. All that I have learn will help me and other around me to be able to communicate better.

    Read More

More about Communication in the Twenty-first Century

Open Document