Does the news media go too far?

Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayumi Hamasaki

It's a beautiful dream, but a dream is earned
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We got to talking about this the other day in my college class. The thing is, a lot of people felt that the media went too far by airing explicit reports on things like school shootings, and violent things like that. For example, showing footage of the killers getting ready to do it, or talking. It made me wonder, why do you all think about that?

The news has a responsibility to report things to us. But how far does that go? When should they really stop? I have to say that I don't think they should show things like this. It's really disrespectful to the families and to the people hurt.

What do you think?
 
The Media will do anything to get peoples attention and have then buy their magazine whatever it is they want people believing what they say. The media will stretch the truth and will put all the good "juicy" things to get people talking. sort of like telling a rumor in a way. The media will be the media they sell these stories for their own benefit. They will almost always go to far it's what i've seen over the years it's just going to get worse. Yes I think the media goes to far; that's their job to but do I think they'll just stop? Not at all. It's been occurring for quite sometime now.
 
The media is a corporation just like any other. At this point the only news I believe is the stuff I see with my own eyes.

[MOD EDIT - Mind throwing some more details in? What do you categorize as a corporation for instance? Why do you disbelieve it?]

Sorry--just meant that the news has become so sensationalized, it's hard to believe everything they say anymore. They like to use certain buzz words that they know will attract an audience, and you can never tell if you're getting both sides of the story or just one. Plus, if "there may be a dangerous drug in your medicine cabinet," why should we have to "find out what it is at 11"? Why not right away, before you take it by accident? It's just irritating. A lot of people still don't have computers, and so they can't just run to them and look up the information as soon as they need it--they rely on newscasts, papers, etc. That makes it even more important for the news to be reliable and accurate, and more of a problem when it isn't.
 
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I think sometimes the media go way overboard, particularly the paparazzi. It's awful seeing them stalk people, look at Princess Diana for instance, the poor woman was hounded by paparazzi, and people still blame them for her death.

I think media spin at times is ridiculous, and they can intrude on very sensitive subjects at the most inappropriate times. There are times when the media need to stay away from a story to protect people from being hurt or exploited.

However, I think it's important that the media is updated instantly on the latest story, and it can be a powerful tool to help people. Look at Haiti for instance, everyone knew about it pretty soon after it happened, and then there's been a lot of media support for Haiti, launching campaigns for aid and money.

I think, in some aspects the media does go too far, and it is too intrusive, but at the same time, we need to be made aware of these things, they may be awkward or awful, but it's a good thing we know about them, rather than them being hushed up so everything appears fine.

Or something like that. I can't formulate my argument properly tonight ><
 
I agree. Though they usually warn people that the scenes might be disturbing, that is only really to cover their own backs, and on a more general level the families involved in the incident will be put through a heck of a lot with whatever it is looping around the news.

Suddenly your business will be local, national, or even global news depending on how serious it is, so I believe they should take care and not completely mess up someones life by showing things without the full facts.

For example if there is a murder and someone is revealed as a suspect, the media might follow it up like crazy, and people will be hating on this person.. If that person is revealed to eventually be innocent he/she might still have the negative stigma attached to him / her and the person will likely have lost friends and perhaps being associated with a murderer forever. It doesn't happen that often, but I can imagine it does.

But yeah, I believe a lot of what they cover needs saying to an extent, but they can seriously go too far and invade peoples privacy.
 
The media's a joke, especially newspapers. The likes of the Daily Mail, Daily Star, News of the World, Daily Mirror etc are so awful they're embarrassing to read. The news on TV isn't so bad since it only picks certain issues that are fairly important or half interesting, but overall the media in general is a joke. You look on the front page of the News of the World or some shit like that and the front page is about John Terry having an affair. Jesus christ, give the man a break, if it were anyone else no one would give a stuff.

Summary: UK tabloid papers are bollocks, news on TV is half decent.
 
Yes.

News is supposed to be bringing the essential information to the masses, but as usual, it gets ruined when money can be made from it.

We can all complain that they do go too far... but are you really saying that you don't like it? The paparazzi hound celebrities because people want to read those stories. The massive stories make the magazines and tabloid newspapers fly off the shelves. They are provided for a very large market, people want to see behind the closed doors of their favourite personalities.

Personally, I don't read too much of the news. I do like to watch a quick recap of the main stories from around the world but I'm not too bothered. I like my news to be a blend of serious stories and some entertainment news etc.
 
Its more the presentation of the news that makes it ridiculous, and not the content itself, in my opinion. Reporting stories and whatnot is all well and good, but newspapers and even the news on TV now seem to be absolutely incapable of reporting in an unbiased manner. The media overhypes the most ridiculous things - they've got a new disease that will supposedly wipe us all out to cover endlessly practically every year. If its not politics, this supposed "war on terror", or involving the death or one or more people, its given hardly any attention whatsoever...

All this focus on celebrity lives is ridiculous, as well. Who really gives a damn? I mean, to the point that they'd be so concerned with their daily lives? They're just ordinary people in a profession that requires them to be in the public eye more than most, trying to get on with their lives just like anyone else. The media practically deifies them. Its like a modern day equivalent of an Imperial Cult.
 
The TV coverages are decent, it's normally the press that occasionally step over the line. There have been cases of distorted facts especially in The Sun just for the sake of evoking sensationalism and raking in on money (the job of the tabloids). Bias is a key issue as well, as Martel pointed out. It's usually bias against politicians that mean a paper would always publish negative stories of the side they don't like, and always publishing the glowing stories of the other side that they support. In other words, we don't get the full picture from one paper.

The tremendous focus the media- especially tabloid papers- gives to celebrities is something that has always irritated me. I agree, the media does deify these celebrities when they mostly deserve little praise at all. I don't give much of a damn about them at all. Who cares if so-and-so cheated on his wife or so-and-so does drugs? I know some people do give a damn, otherwise they wouldn't be bothering to cover such worthless stories.
 
The media absolutely goes too far. Most situations and disasters that happen are very overdramatized by the media. Why is this done? Plain and simple, ratings. Every news channel wants to score the highest ratings, so they figure they can capture attention better by making the situation much larger than it is. It's unfortunate that events may happen that lead to tragedy, but is it really necessary for a news reporter to interview a person that just lost 3 young children? They're dealing with a very tough loss in their life, leave them alone! But no, they shove the microphone right in their face while they're crying their eyes out. It's so awful, they really need to have limitations to what the media can and can't do.

Even from a political standpoint, they will always be bias, one way or another. So it's natural that they report the positive for the party they support and the negative of the others. Again, this is going too far. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but keep it off the national airwaves. And if you're going to report the news, report ALL of it, don't edit out news because it makes your supported party look bad.
 
There's too much emphasis on news nowadays. The media believe they've got a right to present the truth to stories, but they do go way too far. I concur with Mark about the paparazzi, they're ridiculous with the things they do! You'd think fans would be bad, but celebrities get more hassle from the paparazzi. It never used to be like this many years ago. Now? It's gone absolutely wild and don't think it's over yet.
 
Roxanne Hunter said:
There's too much emphasis on news nowadays. The media believe they've got a right to present the truth to stories, but they do go way too far. I concur with Mark about the paparazzi, they're ridiculous with the things they do! You'd think fans would be bad, but celebrities get more hassle from the paparazzi. It never used to be like this many years ago. Now? It's gone absolutely wild and don't think it's over yet.
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The paparazzi only exist because people lap up stories about celebrities. If those stupid woman's magazines fulled with all the 'latest celebrity gossip' didn't exist then neither would the paparazzi. They're just people doing a job, it's the people who create the demand who are to blame.

I've no problem with the coverage, it's their job to provide coverage. News coverage is essential unlike those magazine type things that I mentioned in the first paragraph. If you don't like what is being shown then change the channel. If you have chosen to watch it despite the whatever warnings about the content then you have no right to complain.
When someone is interviewed they've agreed to the interview and getting payed (in some cases a great deal). So the whole idea that they intrude on people's grief is wrong.

I think the sensationalism and the media is a different issue. Obviously if someone is taken in by it then it's their own fault for being stupid and gullible.

Media bias is different again. Usually people who consume Faux News are rabid archconservatives who think Obama is a terrorist who is out to get them. And the people who read the Granuiad are limp dicked champagne socialists who really care about the poor but don't do anything to help them.
They cater to their audience, they don't have a corrupting influence on the rest of society. Normal people don't watch Faux news and after 5 minutes believe that Obama is a commie. The idea that media bias is somehow a problem is an exaggeration that every single person thinks they have thought of themselves.
 
Unfortunatley the situation of the media is one we all dont like, but its also part of the price we pay for enjoying the freedom of speech.

The respectful governments could start putting sanctions, rules and bans against the media to force them to be more careful about what they are discussing, but to do so would chastise one of our most valued rights.

However that being said, there should be a more watchful eye placed upon the paps, afterall they have breached peoples privacy and even gone as far as breaking the law just to get that snapshot of some celeb half naked just for a few notes in there back pocket, so there definatley needs to be some form of control when it comes to monitoring the paps'es actions.
 
CNN.com is probably the greatest news source out there, and as a loyal reader for over a year I hardly see any news on it I wouldn't want to read. Sure, I thought their obsession with Tiger Woods and his rehab issues was kind of idiotic, but if you don't want to read about that, there are plenty of other sections. Who doesn't love in depth accounts of bitter political battles and corporate infighting?
 
The media got the bad name on themselves for how they act. They blow absolutely everything out of proportion.

If they kept things logical and write news with common sense, I would at least turn the TV on to watch the news. The media makes everything either seem way worse then it actually is, or so great while it's not that amazing at all.

Sure, it's all opinions out there. But 9 out of the 10 times, I think they could tone down their shit a little and keep it sane.
 
Back in the day the only thing worth watching was the news, not not even the news holds water today though. I haven't had television for around 1.2 years now and let me tell you I'm not missing anything.

The media loves to over dramatize as said before by so many of ya'll, but they always like to embellish a bit in order to get a story. I mean I think most of the problems in general are trivial, but when someone basically twists the facts in order to get a better story.. well things start heading south. The whole putting really dramatic stories out there, as opposed to real hard facts, is getting old. I understand the news would be borring if they did this, but there is still a war being fought in the mid east, and even if people don't like it, there are still relatives and brothers over there who we love.

I hate the entertainment industry and all it's worth to be honest. It has perverted our music, meaning made it worse, and also made everything for cash gain rather than just creativity. So I put the media in that category to.. Our news.. is just plain bs.
 
the press of today is not free if something that is actually important for the people to know. If the goverment don't wont us to know the media say yes master to them.
The media is only a joke we only see what the higher ups wont us to see.

Then theirs the fact the most people rethar see about a star having another baby or somthing like that then seeing something important.
Theirfor it even easier and the media see no reason to risk their necks to tell us
what really happening since most don't care.
If their food on teh table and a roof over your head today that all th ave humans cares about they don't look into the future or any thing.

So yes media piss me off but i understand why they or what tehy or today because no one cares if they do right people rethar see entertaining stuff then stuff that matters.

So yes yes and yes media a joke and it goes to far at stalking people who or really not important and don't matter if they stalk some one who actually had info that the public needed to know then that cool. however they will not.
 
So, the general consensus seems to be that yes they go too far. Personally, I see it as a bit of a stick area to comment on. Yes, the whole celebrity thing is awful and it's going too far, but people actually enjoy it. I don't, but I know people who read it every day. So, really the blame lays with all of us.

The big thing is, if a part of the media doesn't cover a certain story and another does, we will watch that channel. No matter if it's about a whale or a golfer, we will. They have to do that, I believe, to stay alive, because deep down we all really want it.

We want dirty laundry, it makes us feel better about our selves. They're just fulfilling a need.

Still, I think they do cross the line at times.
 
It's the opposite. The news media doesn't go far enough.

If the public were shown real information concerning "bad things" that happen throughout our lives, there just might be the slimmer of hope and possibility that the viewers will learn from it and better prepare themselves for the next time something like that happens.
 
The media can go to far. I was a media student and studying how the media works is shocking. Its scare tactics to keep the public under control. Scare the shit out of you, make you paranoid and make your life worse then it really is. My stepmum refuses to watch the news or read a newspaper as she doesnt need anyone elses shit upsetting her. And I can understand where she is coming from. Everyday yes people die, get married, have children, have affairs, etc. Thats life. The media tells us about it cause we as people are nosey fuckers and we get scared, paranoid, angry, even happy about news coverage.

IMO yes the media can over step the line. At least now they warn you on TV what the following report contains. They never use to.
 
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