Do you ever hear people constantly bash the news? People who say that all the media does is portray only the negative in the world. People who say that the media controls what we can and cannot see. News stations do inhibit a powerful force among the millions of viewers across the nation, but we can't be ignorant to a source of information that's constantly working vigorously to deliver us what's happening in the world. Here are some reasons as to why we shouldn't be so negative about the media:
1. Being Truthful
It may seem as though newspapers and TV broadcasts are filled with disaster, corruption, and incompetence, but you have to understand that as a journalist, writer, or news anchor, that if they didn't report on what is happening with the world, it would unethical. Reporters can't lie; that's breaking a law in the journalism world. The Oregon shooting that just happened in the beginning of October was a terrible tragedy. Would it be right for news industries not to report on it? No. It's their job to report on what's happening in this world. They don't create the in-justifying and tragic events that occur, they report on it.
2. Synthesize
It is the job of thousands of news reporters to synthesize the information they receive to their audience. For example, if a reporter were to interview Barack Obama, the reporter would break down the interview, highlight specific points, and only show what's important to the audience. Essentially, the media is spoon feeding its viewers and making life easier by giving the meat of the story, not the entire hamburger. But, you can almost always find the entire interview online.
3. Awareness
How would you know what's happening in the world without the news? You wouldn't. Every day, there are thousands of men and women risking their lives to deliver the news to you from other countries, in protests, at crime scenes, etc. How would you know what it's like to be a reporter if you haven't been in their shoes? You wouldn't. There could be a local fire happening in your area and you wouldn't have known about unless the media got it on TV.
4. Forming Opinions
By watching the news, you can create your own opinions. The news can be used as an essential tool for this. I do realize that some broadcasting networks have agendas that attempt to sway the reader's opinion in a certain direction, but guess what, that's not a secret, and I feel as though any reader will know this, and should take the steps to cultivate their own opinion from research.
5. Gain Intelligence 
If you're constantly watching what's happening on the news, nationally and locally, you're already a step ahead of most people. Anyone can quiz you on what debate occurred, who the candidates running for the presidency are, what's occurring across the globe with Syria and Russia, gun control, war zones, etc. By constantly watching the news, you'll build a certain news save smart, and learn more about history than you had ever expected.
If you found out you had a suspicious looking mole on your body, it grew everyday looking more disgusting as the days pass and you didn't do go to the doctor for it, isn't that being ignorant? So is not watching the news. Stay tuned. Stay informed. Stay aware.
