Thinking...

I must begin by saying I found the simulation yesterday more interesting and thought-provoking than I had anticipated. As a television correspondent, I had the unique opportunity to view both sides of the issue, as well as decide for myself which cause was more justified.

My train of thought just derailed.

Oh yes, I found myself, and I think most everyone else did also, taking the side of the terrorists. That wasn't what I was thinking about to begin with though.

After I got home last night, I was thinking about the media's role in the crisis and what could have been done to improve communications between both sides. I don't remember all of what I thought, as I was really tired, but I do remember critiqing my role and finding ways I could have accomplished more if I'd thought a little faster on my feet. (As everyone is sure to find out eventually, I am an avid perfectionist. I've been staring at the word "opportunity" at the top of the page, because the more I see it, the more the spelling looks wrong, but I've convinced myself it's not, because I just don't spell words like that wrong.) Anyway, I decided that a televised press conference with the President, in which he also gave his speech, might have been a little more effective in communicating with the public, as more information could have been given than in a formal interview like we conducted. I also realized that we never received any kind of reassurance that the hostages were all still alive and well, as I didn't even inquire about it in my on-the-spot hostage interview. Silly me.

Oh, I just remembered what else it was I was thinking about. The objectiveness of the press... In the past four years, I have had limited, but I think thorough, experience with journalism, expressly newspaper. I did learn yesterday that it is much easier to retain objectivity on paper than when communicating with speech and body language. In a way this turns me away from other kinds of journalism, but it also presents a challenge... we'll have to wait and see if I do anything with it.

Anyway, I was thinking about the roles of the press in society, and came to a better understanding of why television press so easily loses objectivity. From what I've seen and understood, tv news has become nothing more than a business in the eyes of those in charge of it. While it's main goals are to inform the public of current events, it has become a source of entertainment, and therefore, a race for ratings.

As we talked about yesterday, the news is greatly sensationalized for this reason. I have to go to bat for all of the "good" journalists out there though, who are simply trying to provide the public with the knowledge they deserve. Because of time limitations and the apparent need of good ratings, much of every story is left out. I mentioned the idea that the media actually makes our worldview smaller, and still support that. I do think however, that much of the fault lies within we who are too lazy or apathetic to find out for ourselves what else is happening in our world. While I think the media should put before us a more real and human side of news, I realize that if they did we could be watching news 24/7.

Through all of this, I have realized that when we remain small and uneducated, we play into the media game of supplying them with ratings based on the entertainment factor of news. While we may not be able to change the system, we can step outside the box ourselves and allow our own views to be expanded. Those of you who have done your international studies have probably already realized all of this, but for me it was a concept I hadn't bothered to think much about before. It all reminds me of my trip to Europe this summer. I saw much of the city and country, but all the time I was curious as to how the real people lived there. I got to see the tourist parts, but I still want to know what life there is really like as opposed to ours. In the same way, we see the sensational and brutal parts of current events, but we are kept from viewing the normal and human side of the world outside our own experiences.