The purpose of news channels is not the same anymore. Originally it was to bring out the hidden absurdities in the system. Its purpose was to create awareness and to be a medium of communication between the government and the people. There was a time when an editorial article or a news channel had the power to change a law if it was not helping the people or the citizens in any way. The sole purpose of such news media was to ensure that the power to make or break a law was still with the people and not with elected officials, who are mere representatives. The strongest and most powerful part of any democracy or government is the people, and news just existed to maintain this balance of power.
But things have changed. News channels have transformed from representing the people to representing political parties. This plays a major role in how the viewers decide their vote. If a senate candidate or a presidential candidate is giving a speech, the majority of working individuals do not have the time to listen to the whole speech and to speculate on the claims made by the candidate. They simply tune into a news channel to understand what the candidate said and how he would improve the policy to help the people. This is where the news media play an important role. Information can be easily manipulated in favor of or against any candidate because the channel is supporting said candidate. Though they are entitled to an opinion, they do not have the right to manipulate or influence the minds of the people by modifying the policy claims made by the candidate.
On numerous occasions and surveys it has been found that Fox News, one of the leading news channels of America, has been found to support the Republican party more by showing Democrats in a more negative way and giving Republicans more opportunity to voice their opinion. They tend to manipulate their viewers’ mentality by making baseless arguments on non-trivial aspects rather than comparing policies. One of the news segments I witnessed on Fox News was a comparison of how Obama and Trump order food; Fox News was trying to show that Obama was not as polite as Trump. Rather than comparing policies and explaining to people about how these changes can influence their daily lives, news channels have been focusing on bashing or praising a particular party for their own benefit.
Running an election campaign is a very expensive affair, and all candidates rely on public and corporate funding for their campaigns. Corporations tend to do such favors expecting returns when their party comes to power. This funding can sometimes be in the form of a favor, making a candidate or a party look good on a news channel. Due to such greed for money and power, the viewers and the voters are the people who end up suffering due to lack of proper information.
However, there are some people and shows that try to provide accurate, unbiased news rather than provide opinions. One such example of a show famous in the U.S. is “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” There have been instances where Jon Stewart and his show have actually caused change in policies by creating an unbiased awareness among the people. One such instance was when the Senate voted down a bill to pay for the medical expenses for 9/11 first responders who suffered from a range of medical problems that were caused by their contact with toxic substances. Stewart gathered a group of first responders on his show to give a testimony on their health issues post-9/11. Shortly after the airing of the episode, the bill was passed by Congress to pay for their medical expenses and provide compensation for their families.
It is fascinating that a comedy shown on Comedy Central has more impact on the people and the government than a nationally acclaimed news channel like Fox or CNN. It’s clearly not the job of a comedy show or a comedian to understand policies and point out the absurdities in the system to make people aware. People like Jon Stewart use comedy to make people aware and create an impact, which is actually the job of mainstream news media. The news channels are currently selling news which needs to be stopped. It’s time for the people to change their source of information and the way they absorb news. It’s time to find a medium to obtain just news rather than biased, manipulated opinions or stories.
