Does the news amplify everyday problems? I'm beginning to think so. While cold weather and ice storms are no laughing matter, I think that the media plays a big role in exacerbating normal seasonal events. For example, we had a huge winter ice storm a few years back that brought the city to a halt. People were literally homebound because the foot of snow was covered with a top layer of ice several inches thick. Was it dangerous? Yes. Was it newsworthy? Yes. Did it warrent 24 hour coverage for a whole week on every station? I don't think so.
The local media devoted almost all of their news crews to covering the weather. In addition to the real dramas, we were treated to breaking stories about...get this...piles of snow left behind behind the snow plows...transit buses putting on chains...etc. The way these mundane events played out on tv were actually riveting thanks to the way the media portrayed the stories. A year so ago, a local fox affiliate took some major heat for interrupting the show Prison Break during a major plot point to bring us another breaking story...it was snowing on Mt. Hood. Can you believe it? It was snowing on a mountain? I mean we are talking big time news here, I was shocked that the Associated Press hadn't picked it up...:) In an ironic twist it was the news station that found themselves as the major news story for having the gall to interrupt a show with such a silly topic.
I have to admit that get sucked in the drama as much as the next person, regardless of how trivial the subject matter. I'll even confess to tuning in frequently for weather updates during that snowstorm a few years back. The media knows how to hook its viewers and reel them in. It's the images and drama that we must be drawn to. Even though the images are often horrific, it's hard to tear your eyes away. It's a bit like a trainwreck, you can't not look.
No comments:
Post a Comment