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2.06.2005 History of the media

The Fourth Estate in America: Sex and Violence

Urszula Sienkiewicz, article provided by SAGA Foundation

The media in the United States include many "business sharks" who prioritize their own interests and corporate profits over the public good. The average American spends 8 hours a day on mass media—4 hours on television, 3 on radio, half an hour on recreational music, and the remaining minutes on reading.

According to the constitutional premise that a well-informed person is the best guardian of their rights and freedoms, U.S. residents access media wherever they are: in their cars on the way to work, at their workplace, and finally at home. Aware of its influence, the media have taken on the role of "watchdog," protecting public order and citizens` rights.

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.

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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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See articles on a similar topic:

The Fourth Estate in America

Urszula Sienkiewicz
Success, prestige, power, but above all, big money - these are the first words associated with the world of media in the United States. Do American media truly wield such influence over business and politics in the USA that they can be called the "fourth estate" without hesitation?

The Press in Historical Perspective

Agnieszka Osińska
Researchers trace the prehistory of modern press back to ancient times when primitive forms of mass communication began to emerge.

The Fourth Estate in America: I Write, Therefore I Am...

Urszula Sienkiewicz
The press in the United States, extensively discussed before, has another intriguing niche that cannot be overlooked when talking about American media. Magazines: weekly and monthly publications for enthusiasts.

The History of Television

BARD
In 1875, Ernest von Siemens constructed the first photocell. Two years later, Julian Ochorowicz, a Polish psychologist, developed the theoretical foundations of monochromatic television. In 1924, Scotsman John Baird transmitted an image over a distance. In Poland, we waited until 1952 for the first broadcast.

The Fourth Estate in America: Pioneers of Free Speech - the Press

Urszula Sienkiewicz
In 1990, the press in the United States celebrated its 300th anniversary. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to influence colonial authorities in 1690 and the immediate shutdown of the journal "The Publick Occurrences: Both Foreign and Domestick," American advocates for free speech continued to seek ways to criticize British rule.

The History of Press Photography

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The birth of photography is dated to 1839, when French painter Louis Daguerre announced the principles of daguerreotype (an image projected through a lens onto a silver-plated copper sheet, developed with mercury vapor, and fixed with sodium thiosulfate).

Control is Better

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The noblest duty of media professionals is to expose cases of law violations. For fulfilling this duty, they have often had to pay a high price. However, for a long time, citizens - at least in democratic societies—could rely on the press and other media in their fight against abuses of power.

More in the section: History of the media

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