The Music of the Media

One of the key elements that an aspiring musician learns is that the rests (silences in a melody) are often more important than the notes surrounding it. Properly placed and used strategically such silences in a tune can evoke important emotional feelings and perspectives. The purpose of music after all is communication without the need for words.

When it comes to written script much like the bars of the score sheet perceptions are also altered, shaped and steered not only by the facts offered to the reader but by the omissions too. Exclusion of facts, half truths and ignoring positive stories altogether the American media shapes, bends and contorts the points of views of to its consumers.

While it would be nice to be able to say that these rests are merely inadvertent shortcomings, by and large these gaps in the truth are not only commonplace but subtly taught in journalism schools across the county.

The most obvious place to see entrenched points of view are on editorial pages of newspapers. With every slant possible the heads of the big city news companies pitch their version of things with such a slant that the rests in their argument are big enough to drive a truck through. The casual observer might think they were listening to an Ivy League debating society.

This deliberate shading in attempting to influence audience view points has seeped into general reporting over the past two decades to the detriment of journalisms true calling. Objective facts are all that are required. Alas like the changing of all industry landscapes in this country the fourth estate is another one that seems to be devolving. There are countless examples of media perpetuating stereotypes by the words that they choose in the stories that they present.

For generations black individuals had to be identified in a crime story. Whether a thief is of any particular color is not germane to the facts in many cases. However failing to put their own biases and political beliefs in check such details stay in stories. Over time the reader comes to form a particular opinion of the subject based upon repeated ill advised and truly unnecessary details. This corrupt yet subtle technique serves little good in the cause of progress.

Rewriting is another clever compositional technique of the media. Usually this occurs over long stretches of time and when the media merely print what someone says instead of investigating and comparing facts from then to now.

Politicians for instance are choosing to rewrite history regarding the invasion if Iraq. They would have you believe that the President sat around knowing that weapons of mass destruction were not present in that country. The tainted intelligence he received from the CIA and other countries became a lie when it reached the Presidents desk, but only in hindsight. At the time there was a groundswell of support based upon the same intelligence.

It’s almost like these folks perpetrating the myth were on sabbatical at the time we all went through the turmoil of a 10 month build up prior to the invasion. They forget that Bush went to the United Nations as they required and chided Sadam Hussein weekly to give it up or suffer the consequences. The complainers want to pretend that the Democrats and Republicans alike didn’t vote to give the President the authority to do what he deemed necessary. The fact is that they did just that. No whining now will change the record. Just look back at those papers and see what they reported at the time and compare them to what is being said today.

The media is almost happily becoming a propaganda machine locked to their political beliefs. That is not what the first amendment is all about nor is that what is called for in this symphony of reporting. Perhaps if they looked for a balance of good stories with the tragedy there would not be a cry from many corners for the media to “give it a rest!”