There is something truly special about being a part of the media. I believe that even us here at Odyssey have great power with the articles we write and that we cannot only make people laugh and smile but we also can sway a person’s opinions with our words , even if it may not be as much as an editorial in the New York Times. But as we all know we live in a world today that has a vast variety of platforms for someone’s voice to be heard whether it be via Fox News or just a random YouTube channel. Not to mention with the constant sharing system at social media’s disposal to spread the word even more. However with these easily accessible platforms today there comes the outcome that anything can be said and in addition spun or twisted to fit a certain narrative or bias.
Recently I saw one of my former collegiate colleagues comment on Facebook that President Trump himself was the reason he quit the media. While I did not comment back, I was upset when I saw this because to me it showed one of the very issues we have with society. I think quite often in society we see to many situations in black and white (good or bad). Due to great help from my parents I’ve tried to see life with an open view and have always thought that with most things that there is always shades of grey present (I hate the movies by the way). This is especially true with the media, particularly corporate funded, mainstream outlets. However the media is not the enemy. I will not forget the countless times that the media served its purpose and informed its people honorably. One of the best examples being The Boston Globe in 2002 who exposed systematic child sexual abuse within the Catholic church in Boston. Let’s not also forget when television broadcaster Edward R. Murrow exposed Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy for his erroneous tactics of rooting out communist back in the 1950’s. Nobody will also forget when Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein did extensive work on exposing the Watergate Scandal in the 1970’s.
While none of these cases have taken place during this current unique era we live , they are all proof of that with people who have the right mind and ethics, the job serving its people with information honestly can be done. All of these stories were accomplished because corporate pressure did not matter to these people, only the truth did. That is often the problem we face today, many people don’t care about the truth, only what gets views or to slide others opinions a certain way. Legitimate, gigantic and even smaller independent news outlets have done this. Which is why especially in the world we live in today I ask of everyone to please open your eyes and ears, to pay attention, to be open minded and to most importantly of all not be lazy. Like a rumor back in high school, don’t believe just because you hear it, especially just from one source. Do some work, read things thoroughly and all the way through, ask questions, do research. While it can be difficult to find at times there is one thing all of us in this world deserve and that is the truth.
