Mainstream media
| Is it news? |
| Random articles |
| Resources |
| The Latest News |
Conservatives, particularly Fox News, like to accuse the mainstream media of having a liberal bias, not realizing that they themselves are a part of the mainstream media. In reality, the mainstream media is probably more conservative (in relation to its audience) than ever. Some conspiracy-minded lefties (9/11 truthers, for instance) make similar claims when their pet theories don't receive attention.
Among niche media — media designed to appeal to a smaller audience — and especially blogs, the term has taken on a slightly pejorative connotation, often abbreviating it as "MSM." They view mainstream media as being beholden to special interests, particularly corporations. Hilariously, they do tend to sell out in a heartbeat if offered.
The term also frequently used by hobbyists and others with specialized interests to refer to the same media outlets. In this context, the term is not necessarily negative. In fact, most people are delighted to read about their favorite hobby in a major newspaper, provided the coverage is accurate and positive.
Contents |
[edit] Power of the mainstream media
Despite common opinion, the Internet has had only a minimal impact on the power of the mainstream media; it still far outmuscles the Internet in terms of creating awareness. For example, in 2006, Congressman Mark Foley was discovered to have texted creepy messages to sixteen-year-old Congressional pages. The resulting mainstream media frenzy rocketed his national name recognition from effectively no one outside the 720,000 people[1] in his district to a whopping 86% of the nation's population in only two weeks.
The mainstream media will probably remain a major force in our society for some time to come. This is especially true when one considers that the mainstream media is dominated by large corporations on all of its fronts.[2] This includes the internet, with companies such as Yahoo! and Google at the forefront. The main appeal of all alternative media, including the internet, is that it appeals to audiences interested in very specific subjects. There is no true "mainstream" on the Internet, and hence, no way for it to disseminate information effectively across a large population. And unlike the Internet, which at this point still requires special equipment and a regular fee to access, the mainstream media saturates every medium for free (i.e. broadcast television and radio) or is readily accessible at any time (i.e. newspapers and magazines).
[edit] Criticism
As previously mentioned, mainstream media is treated like a magic scapegoat by critics as a source of sensationalism, repressing free speech by avoiding discussing controversial issues (wingnuts sometimes associate this with political correctness), and "dumbing down" the presentation of information[3] and of oversimplifying issues. Critics also accuse MSM of glorifying sex and violence and blame it for the hypercommercialization/consumerism of society.
To Conspiracy Theorists, the Mainstream Media is a no go, because they're government paid shills.
[edit] See also
- Fox News, the right-wing mainstream media
- MSNBC, the left-wing mainstream media
- CNN, somewhere in between left/right
- Jon Stewart, who tackles the lulz found in the mainstream media
- Liberal media, a version of the mainstream media
- Media, for the most uselessly generic term available
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ The district population arrived at by dividing the population of Florida when Rep. Foley last held office (approx. 18 million) by the number of Congressional representatives Florida is alloted in the House (25).
- ↑ "Who Owns the Media? | Free Press." Free Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Dec. 2013. http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart
- ↑ Reporting Kepler 20e and 20f