menu
Weekly Online Magazine
ISSN 2544-5839
zamknij
Work In Media image

2.06.2005 History of the media

The Fourth Estate in America: Sex and Violence

Urszula Sienkiewicz

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.
Poczytaj artykuł wydanie polskie w wydaniu polskim

, article provided by SAGA Foundation

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.


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.

Share the article:

dodaj na Facebook prześlij przez Messenger dodaj na Twitter dodaj na LinkedIn

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Work In Media

New articles in section History of the media

History of Le Soir. A Belgian daily once free for ground floor readers

Małgorzata Dwornik
It started with an unusual sales policy and articles written personally by the king. This is where the comic hero Tintin made his name. The "fake edition" from the II World War went down in history. "Le Soir" more than once found itself targeted by authorities, censors, and even... terrorists and hackers.

#mediaHISTORY podcast. Listen on Youtube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts [LINK]

Reporterzy.info
History of media and journalism. The biggest titles, famous journalists, groundbreaking events in the press, radio, television and internet industries in the world. Stories developed and told by Małgorzata and Bartłomiej Dwornik from the online weekly Reporterzy.info.

Népszava. The history of Hungary's oldest newspaper

Małgorzata Dwornik
The first editor used a pseudonym. The paper was printed in both Hungarian and German. The military destroyed the newsroom. Journalists died in the Danube’s currents. Népszava survived monarchy, dictatorships, and revolution. And it still exists.


See articles on a similar topic:

Journal de Monaco. The history of the weekly that "brings Monaco closer"

Małgorzata Dwornik
In 1858, Carles de Lorbac established the weekly L’Eden to raise awareness of Monaco's issues, which a year later was renamedJournal de Monaco. Starting as a cultural weekly, it has undergone several changes but continues to be valued by the residents of this small country.

Playboy. The history of a magazine entertaining... everyone

Małgorzata Dwornik
It was 1953 when young journalist Hugh Hefner took out a mortgage loan and convinced 45 shareholders to finance his idea for an erotic magazine named Stag Party. However, when STAG Publishing threatened to sue for trademark infringement, Hefner changed the name to PLAYBOY.

Nexta, or Someone. History of an opposition title from Belarus

Małgorzata Dwornik
The very first rebellious post on the music channel Nexta, run by a seventeen-year-old, did not escape the attention of the Belarusian KGB. The next ones - describing events uncomfortable for the authorities - led to open conflict. Stsiapan Putsila and his Nexta became a target of the Minsk regime. And they have no intention of backing down.

#mediaHISTORY podcast. Listen on Youtube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts [LINK]

Reporterzy.info
History of media and journalism. The biggest titles, famous journalists, groundbreaking events in the press, radio, television and internet industries in the world. Stories developed and told by Małgorzata and Bartłomiej Dwornik from the online weekly Reporterzy.info.

More in the section: History of the media

Work in media

United States
New York • Washington DC • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Phoenix • Philadelphia United Kingdom
London • Birmingham • Manchester • Liverpool • Glasgow • Edinburgh Canada
Toronto • Ottawa • Montreal • Calgary Australia
Sydney • Melbourne • Brisbane • canberra Ireland, New Zealand, India

advertisement

Drones. For PRO. On discount




community

Facebook LinkedIn X Twitter TikTok Instagram Threads Youtube Google News Blue Sky Social RSS

Reporterzy.info - online media studies magazine. The world of communication from the inside. Media, journalism, PR and marketing. Data, reports, analyses, advice. History and market, law, photography, job offers.



Reporter shopping

Reporter shopping

Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
for writing
Digital SLR and compact cameras
Digital SLR and compact cameras
for photographers
Books and e-books about media
Books and e-books about media
for reading
Video drones and flying cameras
Video drones and flying cameras
for pilots
Gimbals for stabilizing video
Gimbals for stabilizing video
for those on the move
Software and apps for creative work
Software and apps for creative work
for digital creators
More occasions

advertisementMedia Review 24/7
Read books and e-books

Read books and e-books

Okładka Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Okładka The 40-Day Social Media Fast
The 40-Day Social Media Fast
Okładka Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Okładka Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Okładka Trust Me, I`m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Trust Me, I`m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator
Okładka Hate, Inc.: Why Today`s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
Hate, Inc.: Why Today`s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
more books and e-books

Reporterzy.info

More about us

Our tools and services

Contact


© Dwornik.pl Bartłomiej Dwornik 2oo1-2o25