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Posted: March 3rd, 2018
The internet has revolutionised the way information is presented and consumed. The traditional newspaper, for example, is no longer the main medium of news coverage. This therefore, has meant that mass media, in general, has had to find new ways of creating money. As a result, one could argue, that the ‘news’ is not objective but rather socially manufactured through a selective process. Events happen, but this doesn’t automatically mean that they will make the headlines or the news coverage at all. As a result, one could argue that the media is biased and is altered to represent certain views and ideologies. The concept of fake news and the deliberate misleading and deceptive information presented in the media could take the form of propaganda. As a society we have become more media saturated but are these agencies of communication, we refer to as mass media, transmitting an illusion of the truth?
One
could argue that the ‘news’ is socially constructed and as McQuail noted, it is
not objective or impartial (McQuail, 1998). The reality is that the ‘news’ is
socially manufactured as a result of a selective process carried out by gatekeepers
: the editors, journalists and proprietors. This leaves room for media bias as
the news is essentially influenced by a group or individuals own opinions and
judgements. The news is not just simply a collection of facts but rather a
collection of knowledge made up of information which is ‘loaded’ reflecting an
interpretation. The process of selection, one could argue, is influenced by
organizational constraints, values of media outlets and ideology.
This
links directly to the Marxist theory: that the news is fabricated and is an ideological
apparatus which helps maintain power. Media outlets shape the ‘news’ and as a
result we get injected, like the hypodermic syringe model suggests, with ideas
that may be an illusion of the truth. As Miliband noted the media shapes how we
think about the world we live in (Miliband, 1976) therefore if media bias is
influencing the news, important issues like poverty, which show weakness in the
capitalist system, are likely to be concealed. In contrast, media outlets are
constantly providing us with information regarding political, financial and
industrial states, for example recently: the benefits of Brexit, which
reinforces corporate values.
For
example, during the EU referendum, media outlets helped broadcast the idea that
the £350 million sent to the EU weekly would be used to help the NHS instead,
if voters opted to vote Brexit. However, after the referendum, the Brexit
leaders decided to abandon the pledge (The Guardian, 2017). This case clearly
demonstrates exploitation through misleading the public, as the NHS was a topic
that they felt strongly about. This was a major political change, Marx would
argue that the media transmitted the conservative ideology here in the
interests of the elite. This could also be classified as a case of propaganda.
As Herman and Chomsky noted the media participating in propaganda campaigns is
nothing new (Herman and Chomsky, 1988). Taking this into account, one could
argue that the media purposefully selected facts “designed to deceive us” (Brennen,
2017) and encourage Brexit. The media is dependent on the government and
businesses as sources of information. These overlapping interests mean there is
a certain degree of solidarity between them, as Highfield notes the personal
and political are highly interlinked (Highfield, 2016), which means the effect
was inevitable.
Furthermore,
analysing the headlines and news coverage, there seems to be a pattern where
certain events are reported more than others, which reinforces the idea that
media outlets choose what makes the ‘news’. For example, recently we got
continuous reports and headlines which revolved around Hurricane Harvey which
had a death toll of eighty-two (Moravec and Moravec, 2017). On the other hand,
the floods near Sierra Leone’s capital,
Freetown, Africa were hardly reported, even though the death toll was over
three hundred (BBC News, 2017). The ethics can undoubtedly be questioned here,
the two events occurred at similar times so why was one reported more than the
other? This relates to Spencer-Thomas’s (Owen Spencer-Thomas, 2017) idea of
“news values” where the guidelines for what is considered ‘newsworthy’ come
into play. The Freetown floods it could be debated were not as significant as
Hurricane Harvey, and consequently didn’t make the headlines.
Alternatively, it could be argued that the media is
not biased but rather like every other cooperation in society, works within the
hierarchal structure conforming to the requirements which bring reward (Curran
and Seaton, 2010). Media outlets are businesses essentially thus need people to
invest to generate revenue. Therefore, rather than being biased and promoting
fake news, it could be argued that media outlets actually focus and tailor the
content based on their audiences. For example, Five News is characterized by
short, snappy bulletins aimed at a young audience. In contrast, The Guardian
has detailed articles which are aimed at more qualified professionals.
Furthermore, to succeed, media outlets have now had
to intensify media strategies to compete with cybermedia organisations (Williams
and Tapscott, 2014). Considering this, it could be argued that media outlets choose
the most important stories as a way of fulfilling users’ needs and their own
profit interests(Fuchs, 2014), online. This links with the concept
of ‘clickbaiting’ which is used by media outlets to attract audiences to ideas
which appeal to them. Postmodernists,
would argue that media outlets are a channel to promote consumption rather than
propaganda. They tailor and direct certain information towards certain people
in the hopes of increasing revenue through advertisements. The increasing
diversity of choice, globalisation and social media has resulted in a variety
of influences shaping our identities.
One could argue, that users are not exploited, as
Fuchs notes, users voluntarily choose to use platforms (Fuchs, 2014). Marx’s
theory can be criticised for presenting users as passive rather than active
participants. The idea that there has been a “cultural shift away from the…
self-conscious user towards the subject as docile” (Lovink, 2016) can be
debated. The revolution of the internet has meant that people can actively
challenge the media, social media has become a “weapon of mass collaboration” (Williams
and Tapscott, 2014). Therefore, it could be argued that fake news is a thing of
the past, with social media flooding with different perspectives there has
been, as Mason notes, an increase in individual freedom and human consciousness.
The evidence lies in the streams of social media comments which critically
challenge a piece of ‘news’. From one
perspective, it could be stated that social media has helped a digital
revolution to occur where the masses have finally gained a voice and power.
Moreover, it could be claimed that people choose
which news stories to believe thus fake news can only exist if people allow it
to be. Audiences receive and interpret the ‘news’ and as a result, not everyone
will be affected in the same way. Consequently, if media outlets are promoting
propaganda there is a very small chance that everyone will be misled. People
tend to read and seek out information that interests them and confirms their
existing views (Festinger, 1962). Taking this into account, one could argue
that the media is just a scapegoat for media bias and fake news. The reality
could be in fact that media bias and fake news is affected and created
depending on a range of psychological and social factors, it may not be bias
but rather unconscious nature.
Without question, the media plays a major role in
society today, whether it be influential or informative. Media technologies may
not be the “contemporary opiates of the people” as Maxwell and Miller (Maxwell
and Miller, 2012) suggest but the validity and objectivity of media outlets can
undeniably be questioned. The ‘news’ is affected by a range of factors and it
is impossible for it to be completely objective. This may not necessarily make
it propaganda but rather a certain opinion. Media outlets need to generate
revenue and therefore, media bias may be a method of tailoring articles towards
audiences rather than intentionally ignoring incidents because of capitalist
control and deliberate misinformation.
On the other hand, the ‘news’ is essentially a root of
information, consequently we should receive an equal coverage of incidents,
like Hurricane Harvey and the Sierra Leone floods, so that one incident is not
seen as more significant. It could also be argued that media outlets should
stay neutral in political campaigns like the EU referendum, as it is very easy
to misinform and mislead readers.
However, the effect of misinformation can be
oversimplified, as seen in the Marxist theory. People are not passive and
critically challenge the ‘news’ and even play an active role in providing the
‘news’, as social media has given everyone the freedom to transmit information.
The different perspectives, as a result, diminish the effect of fake news and
allow us to assemble narratives and interpretations for ourselves.
Consequently, there can only be an ‘illusion of truth’ if we allow there to be.
BBC News. (2017). Sierra Leone mudslides kill
hundreds. [online] Available at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40926187 [Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Brennen, B. (2017). Making Sense of Lies, Deceptive
Propaganda, and Fake News. Journal of Media Ethics, 32(3),
pp.179-181.
Curran, J. and Seaton, J. (2010). Power without
responsibility. London: Routledge.
Festinger, L. (1962). A theory of cognitive
dissonance. California: Stanford University Press.
Fuchs, C. (2014). Digital labour and Karl Marx.
1st ed. New York: Routledge, pp.254, 257, 280.
Herman, E. and Chomsky, N. (1988). Manufacturing
Consent. New York: Pantheon Books.
Highfield, T. (2016). Social media and everyday
politics. [S.l.]: Polity Press, p.3.
Lovink, G. (2016). Social media abyss.
Cambridge, UK: Polity, p.5.
Maxwell, R. and Miller, T. (2012). Greening the
media. New York: Oxford University Press.
McQuail, D.
(1998). Mass communication theory. London: Sage.
Miliband, R.
(1976). The state in capitalist society. London: Quartet Books.
Moravec, E. and Moravec, E. (2017). Texas
officials: Hurricane Harvey death toll at 82, ‘mass casualties have
absolutely not happened’. [online] Washington Post. Available at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/texas-officials-hurricane-harvey-death-toll-at-82-mass-casualties-have-absolutely-not-happened/2017/09/14/bff3ffea-9975-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html?utm_term=.5439927dfcdc
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
Owen Spencer-Thomas. (2017). News values – Owen
Spencer-Thomas. [online] Available at: http://www.owenspencer-thomas.com/journalism/newsvalues/
[Accessed 6 Nov. 2017].
The Guardian. (2017). Brexit camp abandons
£350m-a-week NHS funding pledge. [online] Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/10/brexit-camp-abandons-350-million-pound-nhs-pledge
[Accessed 10 Sep. 2016].
Williams, A. and Tapscott, D. (2014). Wikinomics.
New York: Portfolio, p.3.
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