Taken from: http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/45f711ce-15a3-4c83-a99b-8f22ad9399d7/china-milk0919.jpg?size=l
At the very beginning of the China milk scandal, the repeated coverage of the milk scandal is a clear indication of the Agenda Setting Function Theory.
By repeating the news coverage, the audiences are primed to believe that this issue warrants more attention and importance. According to the theory, audiences who are affected by the issue addressed would have limited effects.
Taken from: http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/09/17/china_milk_wideweb__470x306,0.jpg
However, in this particular case of the China milk scandal, audiences who are affected by the issue discussed would have experienced a greater effect because they consumed those products and are worried about their health. On the other hand, people who did not consume the tainted products would just avoid the products.
Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/limon-art/546485135/
The use of many mediums such as the newspapers, the television, the internet and the radio gives the impression to the public that the news reported is so important that it is required to be on all mediums available. This underlying message due to the use of different mediums is a good example of the Media Determinism Theory.
From their coverage of the news, the media is warning the general public of the tainted food product. This of course prevents further consumption of the tainted dairy products and save the general public from further harm.
At the same time, they are also boosting the image of the press. Their immediate coverage and dissemination of the news shows the efficiency of the press and that they report for the best interest of the public. By doing so, they are creating an influence gradually which can be seen in the Cultivation Theory.
Taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/2080289575/
Since we only have one press in Singapore and the government owns it, our perspective of the real world is very much shaped by them, a testament to the Media Hegemony Theory. Adding on to that, we are inclined to think that the government is always right and act in the best interest of Singapore. Thus, bulk of the Singapore population has a homogenous overview of the world. This homogenous view increases people acceptance of messages presented in the media.
All these theories ultimately convey a very strong message to the public and also to the benefit of the media. The media in Singapore is doing a fantastic job in covering news that is directly related to us, but should we be totally reliant on the local news? Or should we subscribe to other channels to broaden our perspectives?
11 comments:
I think no matter which country it is, people should not rely totally on only one form of media, since we have learnt what the media is capable of.
But in such a case like the milk scandal, I think they have used the applications of media functions appropriately. The main purpose of repeating the broadcast news updates about the tainted milk scandal is to bring awareness to the public, for this is indeed a serious case that has caused several babies to die in China. Sometimes the media serves its function right, even though not always.
Is there any news source that is NOT biased? I don't really know. It seems that no matter what media channel there is, it will always lean to one side more than the other. Even reputed newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribunal (taken from Emil's blog!) have taken a side in the presidential campaign and chosen to endorse Barack Obama. In the end, all we can do is to indeed widen our perspectives by subscribing to various news sources, then making up our own mind on the issue based on the facts and opinions presented.
hi kaisiang,
I feel that as audiences, we should really consume other forms of media apart from our home news. By doing so, we would be able to make use of one of the function of the media (CORRELATION) to aid us in the interpretation of news and analysis of social problems.
We should definitely expose ourselves to other channels of the media beyond our shores. Not that they would be a whole lot better than the quality of news we get here at home, but it's definitely good and a bonus to get another perspective.
For the milk incident, I believe that the press, or should I say the government, has done a great job in alerting the public to this matter. It is only through usage of the mass media that a message can be so quickly passed to the population. It makes one wonder if we could really live without it.
Oh i definitely think broadening our source of news is important. Like what we learnt in class, there are gatekeepers and such who would control what is published or show in the news. Hence, we have to realise that sometimes there are a lot of news that is not properly given to the public.
Considering i'm Malaysian, i can vividly see how sometimes the news in Malaysia and Singapore have different levels of exaggeration, importance and so on.
We are definitely reliant on the local media as it is the fastest way to receive information concerning our country. However, we need to read up from different sources too because whatever information we received in Singapore might not be the true coverage. Obviously, the government would cover up news that will destroy their reputation. One should never be ignorant and accept whatever our local media published.
This shows that despite being in Singapore whereby there is only one source of news from mediacorp, we should take the initiative to source from other papers through the net to get a better all-rounded perspective and not take the news as it is, like a "magic bullet". This discourages critical thinking and analysis of current affairs.
It's good to see that the local media is helping to uncover the misdeeds of unscrupulous businessmen. However, one point to note is, have the authorities taken precautions to ensure that future cases do not happen?
Now that the reports have died down, they need to answer, have the evil-doers corrected their mistakes? Or is there still some unknown substance X in the rabbit sweet/milk. This is an issue that the media has to address.
I feel that audiences themselves have great responsibility in filtering the information they receive from the media.
I feel that the media is biased..as they are produced by humans, who themselves have biased views.
However, we cannot deny the fact that media has its positive uses too..for example the dissemination of important world news (:
I believe that most of the news we receive are forms of propaganda, in a way that it portrays the country in a positive light.
Many a time, news that we receive are often fragmented and seasonalized. So, there is always a need learn from media in moderation.
DEB.
I think that media do have a role to play in shaping our thoughts and behaviour; unconsciously. And the mere exposure effect allow us to get influenced unconsciously.
yijing
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