Newspapers and broadcast media don't mold public opinion so much as they reflect it. If they don't like the coverage, readers and viewers go elsewhere.
What a time to be in the news biz!
Stories pile on top of one another so fast that it's tough to decide what to put on Page One, since they can't all go there. A guideline is that Page One of a major metro broadsheet daily has room for seven to nine stories on any given day.
These days, so many stories break so fast that not all can fit, so some editorial judgement comes into play.
Of course, that means that politicians and others can and do regularly criticize the choices, especially when a story puts a negative light on them. Nonetheless, that's journalism's job, to cover all the news and to decide which stories are most important for readers to know about.
And, of course, when readers don't like the editor's choices, they cancel subscriptions. Likewise, when viewers don't approve of the coverage, they change the channel. Realistically, there are some who become so disgusted or angry that they tune out entirely. Therefore, it's up to the writers, editors and news directors to present the stories in such a way to maintain interest even as they educate, inform and entertain.
So what's it been like, recently? Sexual misconduct by celebrities and politicians -- these are the juicy stories -- economic issues, stock market performance and politicians who claim credit for it, government officials who try to interfere with news coverage, government agencies that try to block fully free access to the Internet, allowing (or encouraging) carriers to decide who gets priority in transmitting stuff, a president who tells the Justice Department to block a communications business merger because he doesn't like the way one of the companies reports on what he does, or delays humanitarian aid to an island (Puerto Rico) struck by two hurricanes even though its people are American citizens, or stops another program that allowed its people (Haitians) to come to America after their homes were devastated by an earthquake, or plans to reshape the Federal Reserve Board to reflect his free market-trickle down economic theories, or wants to reshape the judicial system to conform to his views on how the law works.
Here we pause to take a breath.
All these stories and more are what keep journalists busy and interested in what they do, and excited about the opportunities to inform the public on the doings -- good and otherwise -- of political and government officials.
Here are some examples of the hot stories in America this week:
-- Janet Yellen will leave the Federal Reserve Board as her successor as chair steps in. President Trump did not nominate her for a second term as chair, which has been customary for years.
-- As noted here ten days ago, the government wants to block AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, unless CNN is dropped as part of the deal.
-- Trump ends a program that has allowed Haitian earthquake refugees to come to the U.S.
-- The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is quitting as the White House pushes deregulation.
-- Increasingly, news media present examples of the president's ignorance of history and economics, as he claims credit for things that happened before he took office or would have happened anyway. Usually, this is for the good stuff. Like most politicians, if it was something bad, he blames his predecessor.
For that, here's a link to an excellent piece that appeared in the Irish Times, explaining how the new guy in the Oval Office doesn't really understand how the stock market works: https://www.irishtimes.com/business/personal-finance/six-stock-market-lessons-for-donald-trump-1.3294367
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