Greed and Mass Media

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Recommended: The role of the media in politics

In today’s society, more people use mass media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, (Internet users—21%) and major news corporations like Fox, CBS, and NBC, etc. (Television viewers—55%) for their information on politics and government (Saad). People have this information twenty-four hours a day, right at their fingertips. While these are quick and seemingly easy sources, they are not always the best choices because media companies are not always giving out information with the public’s best interest at heart. There are a large number of companies that focus on how much money they will bring in. The media, therefore, has an essential duty to always be truthful but also a duty not to betray the trust put into it by society. The media’s need for consistent viewers to bring in a profit is a prime example as to why this honestly is so important. This is where the issue of greed comes in. Media companies, while taking a stand on one side of an argument, are obligated to tell the truth so the public is well informed, but greed to get in the way: this greed results in lies and can have an impact on voters.
Although some companies may not see it this way, they all should have an obligation to the public first and their profit second. Companies need to “give voice to a variety of opinions and not to be a propaganda organ for one particular political party. Also, they have particular obligations to provide civic education, as well as to provide a platform for the different political parties” ("Different Obligations of Public and Private Media"). Mass media companies should produce truthful facts and stories for the public so well-educated political decisions can be made. By providing the public with dishonest information, people are often...

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...le.edu/lawweb/jbalkin/articles/media01.htm>.
Berry, Jeffrey, Jerry Goldman, Kenneth Janda, and Deborah Schildkraut. The Challenge of Democracy. 12th Ed. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
"Different Obligations of Public and Private Media." ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. N.p.. Web. 12 Nov 2013.
Lloyd, Mark. "On Media Bias." Center for American Progress. N.p., 15 Jun 2005. Web. 12 Nov 2013. .
Saad, Lydia. "TV Is Americans Main Source of News." Gallup Politics. Gallup, Inc., 08 Jun 2013. Web. 11 Nov 2013.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Media.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

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