Agenda-Setting Theory

As the semester draws to a close in early December, I have one more blog to write. In order to determine how agenda-setting theory plays out in the media, I have chosen three articles to compare about a similar topic. Recently, presidential hopeful Donald Trump declared in a press conference his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., whether for travel or any other reason. His remarks have received widespread criticism from across the political spectrum. I will be analyzing the similarities and differences of this story throughout different media sources and decide wherein the truth lies.

The first article concerning this topic that I researched comes from Al Jazeera America. The first half of the article is relatively unbiased when describing the events that transpired wherein Trump made his aforementioned comments. Further into the article, however, many sources are quoted condemning Trump for his comments, which Al Jazeera seems to agree with.

The Guardian, an online news source, also published an article about the comments Trump made. The article focuses on how Trump’s statements have thrown the Republican Party into chaos. He has received stern criticism from Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, and Republican candidate Jeb Bush. The Guardian is consistent in its article to condemn Trump for his comments, and does not spare any opportunity to cite a source equally condemning him.

Finally, in reviewing Fox News’ article about Trump’s comments, I found them to be even-keeled. They provide some context in which Trump made his remarks; notably, shortly after two radical Muslims killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. The news outlet was consistent with its peers when it provided numerous quotes criticizing Trump for his comments.

The idea of agenda-setting certainly came into play throughout each of these articles. They had a goal in mind to influence their readers to think a certain way towards Trump and about his comments. I am impressed that the three news outlets provide a fair summary and analysis of the comments overall. Agenda-setting is a very real theory news agencies employ in their articles; it is necessary to realize this and be a cautious reader.

The Media – Unfair and Unbalanced

Many of us have good faith in the media. We want to believe that they (media outlets) provide us with accurate and timely news. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. Control Room, a 2004 documentary film about Al Jazeera and its relations with the US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as the other news organizations that covered the 2003 invasion of Iraq, reveals perhaps the media does not provide the world with accurate and unbiased news.

Early in the movie, press officer Lt. Rushing of CENTCOM remarks “Al Jazeera’s bias leads it to focus exclusively on American tanks and Iraqi casualties,” yet he later admits that agencies such as Fox News also appear to hand-pick their material, and he sees what both sides leave out. Lt. Rushing’s comment begs the question, do the media do the bidding of governments? Control Room posits they do indeed do the bidding of governments, producing certain pictures and information in favor of one side.

An example of possible media bias, setting the agenda for its readers and the public, is found in a story from Fox News about Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi scandal. The story asserts that Clinton reveals how freely she and her staff shared information on the Benghazi attacks…and that she even celebrated her controversial hearing appearance. This article certainly presents the news in a way that aligns with Fox News’ worldview.

In the same way Fox News can often hold bias, so can CNN. In an article not pertaining to anything at all, CNN discusses a campaign video of Ted Cruz and his family. The article critiques the video, and claims campaigns often post videos like these as a way to navigate around campaign finance laws.

These two articles reveal the media is not always fair and balanced. It is also necessary to ask, what is the motivation behind these articles? They largely reflect the worldviews of their sponsor news agencies. In many instances, major news corporations do the bidding of the government, producing articles that reflect its viewpoints. Not all is lost. There are unbiased articles created every day; it is necessary to carefully decipher which are which.

 

 

Technopoly – A Biblical Worldview

Neil Postman’s Technopoly utilizes a biblical worldview throughout its chapters and discussion of primordial tools and use of technology in our current culture. Postman often refers to Biblical narratives to illustrate his points, ranging from examples found in Genesis to the New Testament.

In the book’s first chapter Postman describes how efficiency and productivity were viewed with scorn and contempt by those such as Plato and Aristotle. In Deuteronomy God Himself says, “Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.”

In chapter five Postman writes about how Scripture has at its core such a powerful mythology that even the residue of that mythology is sufficient to serve as an exacting control mechanism for some people. He continues, those who believe in Rabbi Hillel’s theory that there is one God, who created the universe and all that is in it “Are free to dismiss all other theories about the origin and meaning of life and to give minimal weight to the facts on which other theories are based.” It is clear here that Postman agrees with Hillel, and thus is utilizing a biblical worldview.

The last example I will give to support my argument is found in chapter nine of the text. This chapter is concerned with scientism, mainly that the methods of the natural sciences can be applied to the study of human behavior. Scientism posits that faith in science can serve as a comprehensive belief system that gives meaning to life, as well as a sense of well-being, morality, and even immorality. Postman states that Christ must be at the center of this worldview, which is otherwise a total illusion. His worldview is present throughout Technopoly, often indicated with subtle language.

Holleywood’s Power

This blog post will attempt to answer the statement “The people who run the TV networks and the major movie studios do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans.” I have to agree with this statement, as I believe it is based off the presupposition that most Americans have a Christian worldview, while TV producers and movie makers do not.

The Pew Research Center found that 71% of Americans identified as Christian in 2014 – down from 78% in 2007. This is merely a finding of those who identified as Christian, not necessarily those who adhere to Christian principles. Despite this, it is a relatively high number compared to the probable single digit percentage of Christians in Hollywood.

In another poll, this one from Debate.org, found that 81% of Americans believe Hollywood has a horrible influence on America. “It has given us the ideology that it is uncool to be fat. How many of you can choose from the top of your head 25 actresses that are obese?” This is an opinion from Debate.org, a fairly accurate one at that. Hollywood creates a culture where one must look perfect, act perfect, and be perfect. The reality is quite different, however.

It is surprising then that despite the juxtaposition of moral and religious viewpoints between Hollywood producers and Americans the film and TV industry is so successful. Perhaps we as a culture have become numb to what we know is wrong. We ignore the moral objections screaming inside ourselves. The question I pose to you, the reader, is what can you do to remedy this?

The Power of the Internet

I vehemently attest that the internet does indeed enable us to consume far too much media at all times. The effects are still being processed, as this phenomenon is somewhat recent in time. For example, what effect will smartphones have on the social and cognitive abilities of children under ten years of age in a few years? Does the internet negatively affect all age groups socially and how we process information, or does it positively aid our culture?

This is a matter I am personally enamored with. I detest social media and the internet, yet love it at the same time. I loathe the lack of face to face interactions as a result of the internet, yet use it daily for homework and personal pleasure. How do I reconcile these conflicts? First, it is critical to accept that our world is changing and has been changing at the feet of the technological revolution. How we interact with others in our daily lives is different because of the internet. This is the way it is, and it will not change.

Having accepted the necessity of the internet, I believe it important to discuss moderation. Everything can be good if handled properly, the internet being no exception. It allows us to discover information previously unattainable and to connect with others around the world in the blink of an eye. The problem arises when the internet consumes one’s life, leaving little to no room for other activities. In addition, an overuse of the internet can make us dumber as one study suggests. It found that while the Internet can increase “visual literacy skills,” that increase appears to be offset with decreases in other areas, such as critical thinking, inductive problem solving, imagination, and “abstract vocabulary.”

The Wall Street Journal provides a great article as to the effects of the internet. “When we’re constantly distracted and interrupted, as we tend to be online, our brains are unable to forge the strong and expansive neural connections that give depth and distinctiveness to our thinking.” The debate surrounding the internet will always exist. I believe the time is fast approaching when significant negative effects will reveal themselves in their entirety, and change the minds of generations.

How do Christians Interact with Culture?

Christianity poses a dilemma for professing Christians. How can we interact with the culture we live in, yet maintain an obedience to God and a personal relationship with Him? This calling is a lofty one, and as we know from Matthew 6:24, we cannot serve both the world and God; they are mutually exclusive.

The answer to the question aforementioned is difficult indeed, and I believe the answer varies among upbringings. I will explain how my life-influencers – church, family, school, and friends- have served to shape my opinion of the best way to interact with culture. Growing up in a Christian family, I attended church every weekend. One of the Bible lessons taught to me was of Romans 12. This chapter discusses living in a fallen world, yet not being conformed to this world. My friends and teachers at school (I attended a private Christian academy), encouraged me to follow the message of Romans 12 as well.

In terms of actually living in our culture as a Christian I believe it is important to be active and involved in the lives of non-Christians, yet to remain firmly rooted in your faith. An active involvement in secular culture does not imply partaking of sinful activities the world engages in, rather professing the Word of God to friends and even strangers. Thus, the best way to do this is to constantly keep your focus on God throughout life, even when interacting with secular culture.

Another view of cultural engagement is the mandate in Scripture to be salt and light that men might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16). This is an important task, and one that should not be taken lightly. Crosswalk.com has a fantastic article about this topic available online to read. Christians can also respond to culture by criticizing it, and pointing out the flaws of non-Christians. Josh Larsen writes in his article In Defense of Christian Cultural Engagement that Christians are needed as critics outside of our Christian subculture.

Interacting with culture as a Christian can be a tricky situation, but going about these interactions in a correct manner can bring glory to God and change the hearts of men. There is no ‘best way’ for professing Christians to interact with culture. But it is crucial that God remains the ultimate focus in whichever interactions we do experience with culture.

Blog 7

Principles of media, the communication class I am currently taking endeavors to analyze the various forms of media. These forms include principles of media, art, visual imagery, propaganda, and more.

The one item I have learned about in depth this semester is the idea of Christians consuming and copying culture. This is a phenomenon not limited to individuals, but rather one that has sunk its claws into churches, mission organizations, and the like. Christian culture often resembles secular culture to a tee, in more ways every year. Contemplate this. Mega churches host rock concerts on Sunday mornings with fog machines and fancy lights, entirely an effort to gain the interest of wanting-to-be-entertained masses.

Once we as Christians begin to copy and consume secular culture as we have been doing, a reversal of the subsequent effects can be nearly impossible. It is of the utmost urgency that we be rooted in Scripture, looking upward to God, and not at culture.

The Persuaders

The Persuaders, a PBS Frontline documentary about advertising and the public relations industry, examines what exactly it is that drives a consumer to make a purchase. The documentary focuses on a Delta Airlines subsidiary, Song, and Clotaire Rapaille, a French psychiatrist who claims he has discovered “the code” to make humans buy something.

Song Airlines was a low-cost air service within an airline brand owned and operated by Delta Air Lines from 2003 to 2006. Song’s main focus was on leisure traffic between the northeastern United States and Florida, whose main customer was hip, style-conscious professional women. Song’s aircraft were fitted with built in TVs, trivia games, organic food choices, and leather seats.

Before its inception in 2003, the company engaged in a long term brand marketing strategy, viewing young, hip women as the primary customer. The advertising group in charge of Song’s marketing truly believed that an airline where one can engage in all sorts of social activities while flying would be highly desirable.

However, this was not to be the case. Clotaire Rapaille, noted psychiatrist explains why. He claims that in order to get to the primal core of human’s desire, there is a three part process to find their reptilian hot buttons.

Rapaille and other professionals in the marketing field believe that humans are motivated by forces unseen. When someone walks into a store, they oftentimes do not know what they want. It is the subtle messages and ques they receive from the store or product that pushes them to make a purchase.

Some view this marketing strategy as not entirely ethical, yet I see no problem personally. Humans are fickle creatures, and if I was a marketing professional, I would motivate the masses to purchase my product using any means that do not harm anyone or go against God’s standards for Christians.

 

 

The Mean World Syndrome

Perhaps you have heard of the mean world syndrome, and perhaps you have even experienced this syndrome in your life. In essence, the mean world syndrome, introduced by the late communication scholar George Gerbner, is when people who consume a lot of media come to believe the world to be a more dangerous place than it actually is, creating a sense of anxiety, fear and anger that is out of proportion with reality.

In today’s world, this phenomenon manifests itself in various ways. Television shows such as COPS, Prison Break, and Criminal Minds all revolve around criminals and violence. Heavy viewers of this media (those who watch more than 4 hours of TV a day) often contain irrational fears of the world around them.

As a child growing up, media including video games and television was only permitted on Fridays after school as well as Saturday mornings. I often played violent (according to the ratings) video games such as Call of Duty and Halo in addition to watching COPS and other mildly violent movies.

Looking back upon my childhood, I do not believe that this media influenced me to view the world as being irrationally violent, rather it instructed me that what is portrayed in media is quite different than “real life”. However, the mean world syndrome plays out differently in each person’s life, so what was harmless to me could be potentially harmful to others.

After viewing the documentary, The Mean World Syndrome and studying this concept, I largely agree with Gerber’s hypothesis. Many of my friends in college view horror movies, which often results in them being afraid of darkness or strangers, rather than making them violent people. Statistics reveal that the chief cause of violence in our culture today is not a result of violent media, instead it is this violent media that brings about irrational fears.

Servant Communication – Empowering the Voiceless

Quentin Schultze in his book Communicating for Life discusses a very pertinent issue in today’s world. This is the issue of symbolic power, and those who do not possess this power. As a group, these people are voiceless, unable to shape the culture around them or voice their opinion.

Schultze highlights that these voiceless people can be children, college students, or elderly people. Often when college students are raped, they fear speaking out against their perpetrator for fear of retaliation. I strongly concur with Schultze’s exhortation for Christians to be alert for evidence of oppressive domination.

And when that oppressive domination is sensed, it is necessary to reach out and give those oppressed people a public voice. Few embody the Christian response to this oppressiveness better than Nelson Mandela, the famous South African anti-apartheid revolutionary who gave a voice to the millions of apartheid victims.

It is imperative to not be silent in the face of domination of others. Perhaps God has given you a powerful voice in society and your social circle; use it. I agree with Schultze when he says that we can take care of God’s world partly by protecting others’ voices and by giving our voices to those who are silent and oppressed.

This is my calling to you today: Practice downward mobility, sharing your symbolic power with those who do not have any and look to God for wisdom.