I think that at this point we can all agree that the political spin cycle in this country is out of control and the image above is a good representation of how it works. My first thought would be to blame the media for allowing themselves to be so easily misguided by politicians. Politicians who make a living on spinning the truth to further promote their own agenda's. Now, I am not so sure. I have recently come of the opinion that we must turn the blame inwards and examine why we have not demanded more from our media.
The media is charged with being the political watchdogs, the ones that ask the tough questions, all while remaining objective. In today's society that is a tough task. Why is it so hard you may ask? The answer is simple, the answer is us. We make it so difficult for those in the media that wish do their job the right way. We seek entertainment constantly and are a nation that doesn't like to be bored. This has allowed for the prominent rise of news entertainment outlets such as Fox and MSNBC. They are clearly biased and use spin to manufacture the consent of their audiences. They mask false logic with heavy emotion, which is nothing more than a recipe for deception. There are those citizens that take everything they say as truth without question and herein lies a major problem.
It is important that the media be an effective check and balance on the government. In order for them to be truly effective we must in turn be a check and balance on the media. As I stated earlier we must demand more from the media. We must question their coverage and find alternatives when they regurgitate the same content over and over. It is important for us to break this cycle and not let ourselves continue to be sidetracked with soft news. The media is a business and will air whatever gets them ratings. I don't think think that will ever change, so the solution is that we must decide that hard news warrants viewership. If we can do this then maybe one day we can break the spin cycle.
I'd say it's important we recognize the role media and politicians play. The media has to rely on political actors in order to get the dirt. This job can be incredibly difficult. However, such doesn't excuse journalist who engage in "He Said, She Said" reporting when such isn't necessary.
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