I've got a copy of the Jan. 4 USA Today. The title reads: "'Alive!' Miners beat odds: As hope dwindled, 12 survivors found after 41 hours; one dead."
It appears that in a mad rush to capitalize on human misery, USA Today, the flagship newspaper of media super-corporation Gannett, decided ethics were optional. Sadly, this shameful display is only the latest example of a news media increasingly hell-bent on exploitation and sensationalism in the name of the almighty dollar.
For the past 20 years, media in the United States has experienced a massive increase in profitability and shown a marked decline in quality. Gone are the days when coverage of a federal government spying on its citizens would trump coverage of Howard Stern's move to Sirius. Today, the media spits hype at an incredible rate, profiting off a nation suffering from attention deficit disorder.
Even more disturbing, the few remaining dependable sources of quality news coverage are being threatened. National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) are suffering as their finances are repeatedly slashed by an openly hostile Republican government. Traditional newspapers, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, are forced to trim their workforces as subscription numbers dwindle to remain competitive with media companies focused solely on profit. Local papers, having been bought out by mega-conglomerates, are hardly representative of the title anymore, their staffs halved and their pages dominated by wire services.
The news-media situation has so deteriorated that many Americans have become reliant on amateur sources, namely blogs, for information.
Amazingly, it is the American fear of a government-run media that has created the current mess in the United States. There is doubtfully anyone who would advocate complete government control of the news. However, on the other end of the spectrum, because it has been relegated to the free market, news has simply become a tool of the corporate world. No longer is the media filled with "Woodward and Bernstein-esque" reporting teams, stopping at nothing to get to the bottom of an issue. Rather, while scandals in the political and corporate realms are often left untouched, coverage of celebrity gossip, car chases and "the war on Christmas" has never been more abundant.
In taking over journalism, media corporations have simply created a new branch of Hollywood entertainment. Why would anyone want to watch David Brooks and Mark Shields conduct a civil public policy debate on "Newshour" when they could switch the channel to "Fox News" and see Bill O'Reilly ruthlessly lambast the liberal of the day via a video connection he controls?
When the news is solely in the hands of profiteers, it quickly becomes an irresponsible and melodramatic production of graphics, noise, entertainment and fear. It is for this reason that a corporate counterforce must be implemented in the news industry.
The U.S government must act to establish severe and far-reaching restrictions regarding media ownership. In the American culture of commercial consolidation, the fear of a news media entirely controlled by two or three companies is justified. Stricter limitations must be established as to how much of American media a single corporation can own.
Further, public news institutions such as PBS and NPR must be maintained in order to ensure the existence of a non-partisan, not-for-profit news source.
By seizing control of the news media, entrepreneurial tycoons have threatened the availability of crucial information to the U.S. citizenry.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of the press. The founding fathers were likely considering government interference when they included this clause in the Bill of Rights. However, as big business increasingly controls the information dispensed to Americans, certainly this constitutional protection must be reconsidered.
The recent news gaffe in reporting the coal-mine disaster should be a wake-up call to Americans. It is time to reform a media willing to entirely disregard responsibility in the name of profit.
Rob Rossmeissl ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and political science.
