Remember that the modern media era began as Hearst newspapers deliberately hyped public opinion into war fever to pump up profits.
We should remember this because what we today call “the media” has unbelievable power to influence populations, leaders, governments and the course of events on a planetary scale.
Emphasizing superficiality and sensationalism fosters an attitude that, taken to its logical extreme, would drive the Titanic deliberately against an iceberg for cocktail ice. Not thinking deeply enough to connect the dots properly could have real consequences – may in fact already have.
What it means to say we are in a global era is that actions taken in our name may have an effect that comes home to affect us, whether we understand them or not.
An informed public is the basis for functioning democracy, and the First Amendment represents a cornerstone compact to protect the press as it provides this function. Never has this principle been more important.
News editors, news anchors, reporters and pundits please, please, please do some serious soul-searching as a responsible response to these terrorist attacks.
Edmonds
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