Mass media (Photo credit: ZaCky ॐ)

Every day when I switch on the radio, the television or my computer I am faced with news items. I never buy newspapers, never have and never will. I think they are a waste of money and much of what is presented is swayed by the political persuasion of its editors anyway. If I have to read the news or listen to reports I would rather it be presented without bias. Sometimes I feel it is good to know what is going on in the world and at other times I feel it might be better to remain ignorant. There are certain things that happen in the world and in local communities that are worth reporting but there are other things I feel should remain private both to the authorities and to individuals as long as by doing that it is in the interest of the public in general. It could be said that some reports have an air of irresponsibility about them, especially where there remains a threat from terrorists, often seeming to suggest forms of action by these groups that they otherwise wouldn’t have thought about. I have watched television programs showing how thieves break into vehicles which might give would-be thieves information on how to carry out such crimes. Information like this should be kept out of the news or other programs in the public eye. It is sufficient to report that vehicles are broken into without giving details of how it was accomplished. We can have too much information for our own good but there will always be people who insist that every small detail of news is revealed whether it is for the best or not. Should all items of news be reported? An arguable question but whatever is reported should only be in the interests of the population at large. Lives have been ruined through bad reporting and it is unnecessary. Who decides what is good news and what isn’t, what should be reported and what should not? Well there are regulators in the media industry but they don’t get it right all of the time. The way the news is sourced and the way it is reported is important too. The media have a responsibility to report accurately, without bias, fairly and in the interests of those making the news and those receiving it. It has to show sensibility and sensitivity too. During the last few months we have heard of much misconduct in the media industry which has prompted a major inquiry into the matter and in reporting in general with several issues becoming the subject of discussion. We wait in anticipation for the outcome and hope that the news will be worth receiving.

Shirley Anne