News editors decide what to broadcast on television and what to print in newspapers. What factors do you think influence these decisions? Do we become used to bad news? Would it be better if more good news was reported? Discuss.
A percentage of the population believe that the decision about what should be printed or broadcasted through media is made by news editors, even so the impact of external factors on them are inevitable. Although we witness a large amount of disheartening and sorrowful news every day, viewers should also consider the positive impacts we could experience if they were to report more good news.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore that the news broadcasted through media is not always 100% realistic. That is because, in some countries, they are influenced by the government authorities. An example of this would be, in some non-democratic counties they are forbidden to raise such issues which contradict the constitution or are in conflict with their common interest. Moreover, news reporters are consumed and controlled by large outside agencies.
In addition, there are obvious impacts of incessantly broadcasting bad news. That is because people get in the habit of always wanting to watch violent news. This invokes a sense of belligerence in people which is unsafe for the society. There are plenty of examples, for instance, during the last decade of twentieth century wherein a number of well-known news channels were totally occupied by the super powers’ propaganda and accused certain countries of being involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
In contrast, reporting good news would significantly influence people’s attitudes. Firstly, broadcasting news about the advancements in the society would inspire them and promote a sense of responsibility to contribute to the welfare of their country. Secondly, it would decrease the level of depression in their minds which was caused as a result of day to day reports about violence.
To conclude, while awareness of the facts is the fundamental right of people, there are a certain amount of restrictions on what news editors can broadcast and what they cannot. Nevertheless, reporting more positive news would definitely minimize the sense of fear and insecurity among individuals.