By Audrey Reed
Opinions Editor
With war in the air and the nation in crisis, the news media is full of excitement. When the shuttle exploded, when the Columbine shootings happened and when the Twin Towers and Pentagon were attacked, television news programs and newspapers were packed with information about victims, possible reasons for the tragedy and experts opinion.
Admittedly, journalists thrive on such events because they want to give the public the most information possible. This is the goal of these seemingly endless stories on major events.
CNN, The Los Angeles Times and other news services that have both national and worldwide coverage may report on these topics for days, adding new information as it is revealed.
Sometimes this can be boring. If CNN is watched for more than two hours, chances are that a story will be replayed over and over again.
Articles in any newspaper that report on long-term news events will often repeat previously disclosed information at the end of an article.
This practice is not to take up space in a newspaper or time in a news show, but just to ensure that viewers, at any time or any day, know exactly what is occurring in the world.
Also, news services are audience centered. What is played on the nightly news and printed in the morning newspaper is a reflection of what the public wants to know about. Not everyone wants to hear about every single bill that is passed. But rather a greater percentage of the audience is interested in a space shuttle mysteriously exploding.
If the media had information about a newsworthy topic, they have an obligation to tell the public. Anything less is simply poor journalism.
Three days after the Columbia Shuttle exploded, the media was still abuzz trying to make sense of such a surprising event.
Commentators, space analysts and family members of the astronauts are all newsworthy people who should be able to communicate to the public through such a medium.
The drawback to this extensive coverage is that other stories tend to be put on the back burner in order to make room for more in-depth coverage.
It may seem unfair that just a few old editors in some dank office decide what the nation will hear about the happenings of the entire world.
But it works.
If one news source is wrongly covering only a certain event, there are thousands of other news sources for the public to choose from. If CNN is re-running stories, change to Fox News.
Finally, news isn’t supposed to be entertaining. It merely should present what is happening.
Sometimes the most entertaining piece of news is a segment on the president’s dog being spayed. Other days controversial laws will be passed or planes will crash or records will be broken.
So when smaller stories are sacrificed so bigger, more in depth stories can be fully displayed, it is in the public’s best interest that there is this mass influx of information during times of crisis and big events.
The next few weeks will prove to be an interesting time in our country and the media. When information is repeated, remember the real function of the media — to serve the public.
Feburary 06, 2003