Stop blaming the media

Ryan Reynolds
Aug 23, 2017 · 6 min read

Over the last several years, “the media” has become a large target of many to vent their anger and frustration. I have even heard some go as far as to say that they think someone (such as the President) needs to hold the press accountable. Though this demonization has been occurring on a daily basis, we should take a step back and examine what the media is, what their goals are (in general terms) and why protecting the press in the constitution was so important.

So why did the founders of our country believe that the press were so important that they deserved the unrestricted right to publish their own thoughts, feelings and accounting of events? It’s pretty simple. The founding fathers chose to protect things that a top down tyrannical government such as the British monarchy that they fought to free themselves from would endanger. When they set up the government of the United States, they saw the potential for a governmental administration to control the flow of information and control the views of the nation’s citizens. This is known as propaganda. If information is only flowing from one source, those taking it in are like sheep being herded. You’re being told to think, feel and act a certain way because it’s the only thing you’re being told.

By preserving the freedom of the press, the founding fathers ensured that conversations would be had. They ensured that people would hear a chorus of opinions and would be encouraged to think for themselves and expand their minds. They also ensured that the government couldn’t interfere with what journalists publish in hopes of tapering the information that we receive in a certain direction. In short, the exchange of information in the United States of America would be open and free. While there have most certainly been challenges to this principle and practice over time, it has remained ingrained in our society, as it should.

Fast forward to today. We live in a very different society than that of the founding fathers. Today, there are so many voices and opinions out there that some have become what many would consider to be irresponsible with their reporting. But why is that?

Journalism is a capitalist enterprise. Running a newspaper, website, YouTube channel or whatever form of publication that you choose is a business. That is a natural progression. For many, journalism is their career. They pay their bills and feed their families by writing pieces for the public to consume. This isn’t a new concept and has been the case for many years. So what has changed?

We have changed. The way that we receive information and react to it has changed. Everything has become sensationalized, dramatic, scandalous, anger-inducing, flashy and worse. While many will quickly point the finger at the media for leading this wave of “post-truth” journalism, I believe that we should take a look in the mirror.

Who is reading the pieces that these journalists that everyone is so angry at are writing? Who is giving them attention? Who is subscribing to them? Who is giving them ad revenue when they click their links? Who is giving these people the ratings that they receive? We are. We are the ones falling for the click-bait headlines. We are the ones saying “This sounds like an interesting story.” We are showing these businesses, who put out news for a living that these are the stories that we want to read. If we weren’t, they wouldn’t be writing them.

All businesses have to evolve, change and react to the ebb and flow of society. The media has evolved as we have. They know that people aren’t taking the time to thoroughly read lengthy break downs of facts. They know that people are more likely to read something “sexy” and eye catching. Many of these outlets push the envelope too far and distort facts, exaggerate or even flat out lie to get your attention. We also know that many outlets are catering to a certain audience. TMZ has a certain audience. Breitbart has a certain audience. Bill Maher has a certain audience. Why is it surprising that they would play to the tastes of their own audience by exclusion of information that would make their audience turn the channel or stop visiting their site? The journalist who writes pieces that no one reads is the journalist who doesn’t have a job for much longer. “The media” is simply giving society the information that we’re asking for. They’re giving us information that we will actually read. And that’s not their fault; It’s ours.

Look, I hate certain media outlets as much as you do. Every time I see pieces from certain sources I shake my head because I know its a distortion of reality. Many of the people calling themselves journalists these days don’t even deserve the title as far as I’m concerned. But the point is that they’re behaving the way they do because they know that they can be successful doing it. If we want it to stop, we need to stop supporting that type of publishing. Until we do, it will carry on. We can keep complaining about it all we want, but until we start acting like we want something different, we’re not going to get it. We are the media’s consumers. So if we want to consume something, all we need to do is ask. If we’re willing to pay for something better, they will provide something better when we stop paying for the cheapest junk on the market. Boasting about “fake news” and getting red in the face accomplishes nothing so long as we keep paying for the stuff we claim to disprove of.

Before I close, I want to take a moment to thank all the journalists, media outlets and others who work in the industry who are working hard while being fair and honest. I don’t even like using the terms “media” or “press” to discuss the entire industry in general terms because you don’t deserve to be judged as a group, you deserve to be judged as individuals, just like the rest of us. You’ve been given a bad wrap because of the actions of a minority of your peers and I’m sure you know this.

I have a background in journalism myself and I know most of us don’t get into the game to distort facts. In my experience, most people get into journalism to break through the noise, report the truth as we see it before us, and help educate and inform society. To all of you working hard to do that, thank you. In the long run, facts and honest reporting will survive no matter how murky the waters may be right now. Don’t let the public outcry get to you. Stick to your guns and keep writing the truth no matter how unrewarding it may seem. We need you now more than ever.

To everyone else, go ahead and be critical of media. Feel free to question things and be skeptical. Just remember how important the freedom of press is. Remember that the press exists to help keep our society and the nation that we know and love, free. Remember that the press is there to help us stay informed. Find sources that you know that you can trust and utilize them to help yourself learn, stay current and understand the ever evolving world around us. We need to participate and we need to help shape the future. The first step to doing that and making any decision is understanding the facts. We need to stop scape goating and start taking ownership.

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Ryan Reynolds

Ryan is the Mayor of the Whitney Point, New York and one of the youngest Mayors in office in the United States.

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