How Television Distorts Reality By Benjamin Radford Summary

Writing Project Two: Exploring the Perspectives of Others

In Benjamin Radford’s essay “How Television Distorts Reality” the author contends that television newscasts distort reality by focusing on sensational events. Radford claims that news broadcasts devote inordinate amounts of air time to crime coverage, and avoid more critical subjects such as race relations and geopolitics. The mainstream media benefits from these divisive tactics due to the rationale that sensational headlines are much more attention-grabbing, and they believe that they are being “democratic” by offering the masses prepackaged information that can be easily consumed. In reality, the media is forcefully increasing the viewer’s feeling of vulnerability, leading them to

think that violent crime consumes every inch of our society. I strongly believe that news corporations need to realize that their nefarious methods of misrepresenting reality are dangerous. In conclusion, it is my opinion that the media’s saturation of negative news coverage has lead to social apathy and cultural desensitization.
As the Managing Editor of the periodical, The Skeptical Inquirer, Benjamin Radford's writings primarily push the reader to think critically about the media.

In Radford's essay, he describes “the media paradox” which is forged when “we misplace our fears due to our reliance on the mainstream media” (235). Radford describes how the vast majority of mainstream news is “market-driven” and often relies on sensationalized stories that the media projects as important. Radford points out that there’s a media bias that focuses on murder and violence, which leads the public to believe that the world is much more dangerous than it really is. Radford argues that homogenization of the news, in particular, can be especially damaging to our society, and he believes that the method of targeting singular demographics insults the intelligence of the

viewer.
In the discordant political climate of today, the consumer is constantly being pushed and pulled between distortion and the truth. Pundits spew their dogma like televangelists, broadcasting their sermons to the left and right. Radford explains an example of this, “viewers have been led to believe that what they see on the news must be important, news organizations can’t be honest about their vacuous coverage without making liars of themselves” (234). I was interested in gauging the perception of the average consumer of media, I interviewed a few friends and family members to get their perspective. Marilyn, my wife, believes that mainstream news outlets “only focus on ad revenue instead of informing the public”. She claims “networks keep viewership high by glorifying blood and gore, and often it seems like they prioritize their bottom line.” One of Marilyn's’ earliest memories of the news, was hearing Ted Kaczynski’s name repeated over and over on the television, she explained that “I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I could tell it was an important story.” This is a prime example of how subconsciously we become desensitized at such a young age, and how horrific events become just another violent thread in the fabric of our development. My longtime friend/bandmate, Joey shared a similar childhood memory that still haunts him to this day. He described how he watched news coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing, stating that “seeing burned children being pulled from the destruction left me with the feeling that evil had won.” Joey discussed how he believes that, “the media constantly pushes the boundaries of destruction,” and that watching the news leaves him feeling numb. The majority of mainstream news outlets take advantage of the viewer’s instinctual nature to want to be considered a part of the consensus. This method used by the media often only focuses on catering to their target demographic and avoids pressuring the public into amending a neglected societal flaw.
September 11th, 2001 is a date that most Americans can recall vividly.

Television networks covered each and every chilling moment, providing the unbeknownst viewers a front row seat to witness an uncensored display of carnage. Radford points out that “the news media do their best to raise alarm, even when no alarm is needed ” (236). However, on September 11th, the media’s perpetual stream of updates was necessary, and even vital, to maintaining national security. Our fragile national psyche is still recovering from the ghastly acts of terror that took the lives of two thousand innocent people. Furthermore, the horrific act damaged America’s sense of normalcy by increasing our culture’s immunity to violent images. As a result, we have become apathetic towards the suffering of our fellow man, and many simply stay fearful of the unknown. I discussed this topic with my father. He explained that “stereotypes about good and evil were created to make the unfathomable more understandable.” My father said he was, “optimistic about the future,” but also expressed frustration with our generations lack of motivation. Overall, I would have to agree with the man that raised me, but I also believe that our generation’s lack of motivation was created by a culture saturated in

negativity.
We, as consumers are at constant odds with a propaganda machine, whose intentions are to divide and conquer. Fear manufactured by the mainstream news has caused viewers to choose the lesser of two evils, instead of working towards the greater good of our country. The media’s portrayal of police violence focuses on the bloody aftermath of systemic racism, instead of discussing the daily strife and intimidation aimed at people of color. For instance, Radford explained that, “by and large, the news media (and entertainment media, for that matter) seek the broadest possible appeal.”(234) Therefore, the media doesn't have to consider the individual repercussions of their approach. My position is that our generation’s expanding feelings of anxiety are the byproduct of the media’s practices. In my opinion, apathy has caused many viewers to tune out and avoid the news altogether. Ultimately, the viewer would rather be blissfully misinformed than have to wade through the media’s constant stream of darkness.