The Skyliner

Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: Opinion

Ryan Stone
Visual Arts Editor


I've heard a variation of the comment many times, "It's not my fault, the media just puts so much pressure on me to do it." It is not always phrased quite like that but often "the media" is blamed for whatever problems our culture currently faces. It has become the evil scapegoat, or is it? I know media professionals Christian and non, some are nice, some rude and most just like everyone else. The media is a reflection of the diversity of a culture. We are not out to make a hostile liberal takeover of the world, instead I'd like to think we are change enactors.

My personal mantra is, "affecting change through media." That is my goal to change the world. Now as idealistic as that may seem it is simply my desire to do what I love and change the world in the process, whether it be a worldwide change or just in the lives of a few individuals. I've heard countless stories of harsh letters toward the media, but what people don't hear is when someone writes something and it permanently affects people's lives positively. When looking at Pulitzer prize winning photographs I see more that helped shape and enhance our society rather than cause detriment. We represent those around us, and we have them all: slackers, overachievers, liars, honest people, driven people, nice, mean, rude, imperfect, simple, philosophical, quiet, and boisterous.

Now as much as I would love to say as a whole the media is completely impartial, I can't. We are more biased than one would think, an editor decides what is important and what isn't and on that same token when we see a problem our bias makes us want to expose the imperfections of our society. Simply there will never be a completely partial journalist.

On the other side I'm not as naive as to believe that major companies do not push their own bias in their news. Remember when you watch CNN or Fox News both are companies driven by profit. Each may care about the news the money is also important. Look at it this way, journalists are more likely to be the idealistic world changer types if they are controlled by the man with the money.

So just like everyone else we are not as evil as you might think. As media communicators we are simply a reflection of the world around us. Honestly, none of us want to change the world with a lie or stretch of the truth, we simply want to present it and see change happen as it inevitably will.

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