po polsku
This role explains the frequent media interventions in cases where these rights and order are violated by the government or other institutions. I`ve already mentioned leading examples of pro-social media actions - the exposure of the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam War.
These interventions brought tangible results - due to the exposure of abuses, President Nixon resigned, and the war saw fewer American casualties. Unlike in other countries that are grandly called democratic, in the U.S., journalists cannot be arrested for telling the truth, nor can a newsroom be shut down for actively seeking the truth. On the other hand, the government cannot be defamed unless investigative journalists can prove that governmental statements or actions are directed with particular malice against American society.
However, U.S. media are not only about heroic journalists and reporters fighting for the people`s right to information on government actions. Many "business sharks" focus on their own interests and the profits of their corporations rather than the public good. And since violence and sex sell best these days, many Americans criticize the media - take, for example, Michael Moore, a prominent advocate for reducing crime coverage in the news. Those who have seen "Bowling for Columbine" know what I mean. His idea of driving consumption through fear has many supporters among lawmakers, who have long tried to change the popular belief that "nothing sells like a corpse on the cover."
To address citizens` demands and Congressional pressure, the four main television networks - ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox - established a system in 1993 to inform viewers of a program’s violent nature just before it begins. In 1996, commercial and cable networks went a step further, implementing a system that monitors "doses" of violence, sex, and vulgarity in their programming. Depending on the content, an appropriate symbol appears on the screen during the broadcast to indicate whether children and teenagers should watch the program (a similar system now exists in Poland).
Paradoxically, this system was deemed a violation of the First Amendment in the United States. Since 1998, technological solutions have been applied instead, with televisions now factory-equipped with a V-chip, allowing parents to block broadcasts of programs that children should not watch.
Read all articles in the series The Fourth Estate in America.
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New articles in section History of the media
Havas. The history of the world's first news agency
Małgorzata Dwornik
The idea of two bankrupt Frenchmen in 1835 turned out to be brilliant: use information as a commodity. Along with translators, messengers, and correspondents, they hired a flock of carrier pigeons. These birds carried news from London to Paris in a single day. The product of L'Bureau Havas quickly became popular far beyond Europe.
România Liberă. 150 years of history of the Romanian press
Małgorzata Dwornik
On May 14, 1877, Romania officially declared independence from the Ottoman Empire, and just one day later, the newspaper România Liberă (Free Romania) appeared on the Bucharest market. Its founder, first director, and journalist was Dimitrie August Laurian, strongly supported by Professor Ştefan Mihăilescu.
El Mercurio de Valparaiso from Chile. The oldest Spanish language newspaper in the world
Małgorzata Dwornik
The first issue started a revolution in South America. It survived 200 years of turbulent history: headquarters fires, editorial office looting, economic crises, and dictatorship. Today, El Mercurio de Valparaiso holds a unique status in the Chilean media market. And the title of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The Fourth Estate in America: The Elder Sister of Television
Urszula Sienkiewicz
The early 1920s brought Americans a new, inspiring source of information - radio. Almost every household, in both big cities and suburbs, welcomed the magical wooden box that provided entertainment like never before.
Granma. History of the most communist newspaper in Cuba
Małgorzata Dwornik
As stated on the Spanish Wikipedia, the word GRANMA comes from the informal, graphic, and phonetic English term "grandma" (grandmother), which in American slang means "old lady". For Cubans of the 1950s and 1960s, however, it became a symbol of freedom and the Cuban Revolution.
Gibraltar Chronicle. Second oldest newspaper published in English
Małgorzata Dwornik
The first four-page issue appeared on 4 May 1801 with the lengthy title "Continuation of the intelligence from Egypt received by His Majesty`s Ship Flora in three weeks from Alexandria". Eleven days later, the authors decided to shorten the newspaper’s name. That is how the Gibraltar Chronicle was born, and it still exists today.
Kevin Carter. The story of a Bang-Bang Club photojournalist
Małgorzata Dwornik
His photo from Sudan, "The Vulture and the Little Girl", became an iconic image. Earlier, risking the death penalty, he and his friends documented apartheid crimes in his native South Africa. Kevin Carter, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the creator of thousands of powerful images, struggled with the weight of what he witnessed through his camera.
