Once, I was told that the news gives out the facts and attempts to tell the truth about a given situation. Growing up, I then started to perceive the news as the truth, something that would honestly tell me what I needed to be prepared for in an ever-changing world. Reflecting on how the news has influenced my life in the past few months, I realize that the term ‘attempt’ holds a lot of power. ‘Attempt’ means to make an effort to complete something, but that does not mean reaching that goal. In this instance, the news tries to tell the truth about situations, but due to implied factors, it lacks the full ability to do so.
One of the biggest factors is the idea of targeting. The news targets specific communities that will understand a certain type of coverage. This type of targeting helps draw the attention of larger groups while also saving money because these people will keep coming back. Targeting can normally be a positive investment that allows news outlets to understand what type of information a specific individual would like to hear about. To put it into perspective, this is why conservative news outlets will continue to use language that engages with their audience. An example of this could be using aggressive language to describe certain groups or more patriotic language to encourage a positive view of their country.
With this type of reporting in mind, journalists are encouraged to potentially dramatize news or eliminate key points present in the news to target their audience. And that is where the lie begins. Dramatization of the news creates a bigger deal of what something once was; this can shed a more negative light on another party because of how dramatic the news made it seem. Eliminating key points means that people are not hearing the full story and can only assume the truth from what they hear. Everyone knows that it is best to hear from both sides, and if it does not present both, the news starts to become corrupt.
In the current case of Canadian news media, there have been obvious limitations about what society gets to hear about and what is hidden in terms of the current genocidal and political climate. For example, certain news sources change their language so that the news is not as dramatized as it should be. This would be substituting the word “people” for “children” who have died or minimizing the amount of live media covered by the journalists on the ground on the actual television. So when I try to understand more about the situation, the whole story is prevented from being revealed to me, causing me to support a side whose story is not as positive as it may seem. While people are inspired to share their voices with society, it is hard to do so when you don’t get the whole picture.
So if the news continues to provide us with lies, then an overwhelming sense of fear and hopelessness starts to build up. It can take over, making you feel as if you are on the wrong side of history. The only way to prevent that is by educating yourself. Education can seem like a laborious task, but this is a chance to expand your knowledge and your worldview.
Try learning from another person’s perspective by watching the news they watch or reading their social media posts; it can help clear up the confusion you might have had by assuming something. Read books that discuss the historical implications of certain issues today, which can help redefine what it means to be living in this time. One can’t always assume that the news will provide one with the truth, especially in this day and age. You have to make an effort to create your understanding. In turn, you can create a revolution that will change the world we have limited ourselves to. Educate yourselves- there’s so much more to learn!