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Many times, journalists have argued that they play a role in providing content that reflects the reality of the events. Apparently, the media plays a critical role in informing the society, thus they can be regarded as carriers of dominant ideologies. This is to say they reflect the issues that are favorable to the society especially to the dominant party. On the other hand, the social and political structures largely influence various events that the media may expect. Thus, the paper will examine how the media ought to recognize those things that their mirrors reflect may not be a reality.
News making entails an action involving appropriate to be reported on form of news. Preston (2008: 51), argues that news is manufactured product comprised of an emphasis to construct reality other than real picture. The standard media professional practices and routines operate hand in hand to manufacture specific forms of social reality in an effort to make news (Preston, 2008: 51).
The procedures and routine procedures play a role in promoting highly specific events despite the fact that the procedure may but consciously distorted or biased (Preston, 2008: 51). Nevertheless, professional procedures and media routines construct news through promoting and selecting issues related to daily occurrences or occasionally, issues regarding newsworthiness status (Preston, 2008: 51).
Further, news making entails media efforts in bridging reality and society through translating event versions that the inhabitant of societies cannot possibly perceive on their own (Preston, 2008: 53). Thus, the bridge defines an existing foundation in society as it disseminates images, ideas, and information that are evidently paramount to the society (McQuail, 2005: 78).
Journalists gather information from various sources in which they analyze and prepare a report that crate some forms of realty to the viewers or readers (Preston, 2008: 53). People gain the opportunity to come across the ideas broadcasted by the media in various forms including print and audiovisual forms (Preston, 2008: 53). They end up interpreting the news in different ways as some may ignore while some may take the events being broadcasted by as essential to their well being (Preston, 2008: 53).
Editors and management take an exclusive role in organizing news making resources along temporal grids ad certain locations(Preston, 2008: 53). Furthermore, they allocate and organize reporters towards locations and roles that appear to generate reliable flows of information on an occurrence or events regarded as newsworthy (Preston, 2008: 53). The production deadlines may happen accommodate these occurrences or events (Preston, 2008: 53).
Media representation entails understanding choice made to portray someone or something in text of mass media (Fourie, 2010: 286). Occasionally, it is challenging to portray the entire aspects of someone in a future film, photograph in such a way that particular features of their appearance and personality are highlighted (Fourie, 2010: 28). As a matter of fact, certain traits of individuals are enhanced so that the audience will see constructed representations. Aspects such as gender, age, race/ethnicity, culture, and nationality define people being represented by media texts (Fourie, 2010: 27).
On the other hand, audiences decode representation based on their own experiences in life such as what media texts they are familiar with, where they live, age, and psychological factors (Fourie, 2010: 28). Occasionally, elements such as social class and political sympathies can significantly contribute to how audiences decode media text ((McQuail, 2005: 81). Apparently, producers assume that target audience exhibit homogenous mass when constructing media representation. This is not the case with the audience as they receive images in different ways (Allan, 2005: 287).
Issues related to media representation affirms the argument that their content may not reflect reality. The media claim it plays mediation role forgetting that the role takes in distinct forms (McQuail, 2005: 83). The first form is a window on an event that allows the audience to view without interference. The second form entails filter that that base representation on certain aspects of experiences and discarding other aspects (McQuail, 2005: 83).
In other words, journalists act in such a way that mediation takes the form of a mirror that is a faithful reflection (McQuail, 2005: 83). To elaborate, what people read on the online media, print media, watch on televisions and hear on radios merely reflects real occurrences or events (McQuail, 2005: 83). The mirror of the media presents distorted image in such a way that the angle of relection provides a fraction of the original image (McQuail, 2005: 83). This implies that the media produce partial reality images as it was the case with the South African journalist, Arrie Rossuw (Taljaard, 2006:4).
The editor of the South African newspaper published a photograph of two murdered naked bodies under the tile “Crazy-moorde”. The newspaper received several criticisms as any audiences complained that the image was insensitive and disrespected the surviving families and victims (Maggo, 2006: 2). However, the editor justified the event by arguing that the images were a reflection of the state of gang violence and crime in South Africa (Taljaard, 2006:4). He further explained that the newspaper wished to show people reality of violence and death without camouflaging (Taljaard, 2006:4).
In essence, news does not only a reflection of the part of the word, but also a representation of language (Wasserman, 2007: 1). Language can be regarded as neutral implying that it fails to mirror the reality; it is not fixed and can be decided upon socially context. In other words, language focuses on protecting reality rather than constructing reality (Wasserman, 2007: 1).
Further people can use language to mask hidden ideologies. This implies that media text has a probability of carrying massive meaning in their messages that what can be realized by the audience or even the journalists themselves (Fourie, 2007, 2005; 311). Communication of ideology can possibly manipulate people as it has a close connection with mass media and language (Fourie, 2007, 2005; 312). Besides, ideologies have a tendency of presenting a negative forced in societies where some individuals in society use false beliefs to dominate over others (Croteau & Hones, 2003: 161). Thus, the media is among those that engage in contemporary battlegrounds for taking part in promoting particular ideas (Croteau & Hones, 2003: 161).
Regarding gender representation, the media attracts criticism for stereotyping women (Allan, 2005: 288). Research by GMMP over 71 countries reveals that the media represent only 19 percent women fro the population in news stories. Most of these were wives, victims and mothers (Allan, 2005: 288). The research by the European Commission conforms that women are over-represented as victims of violence rather than on positive aspects. In other words, the media fails to play its role representing positive principles of women compared to men (Allan, 2005: 289).
Regarding political context, representation issues can be viewed on how people reacted against the republican administration allegedly attempted to manipulate new regarding the US invasion in Iraq (Fourie, 2010: 228. President Thabo Mbeki also showed concern on how African journalist failed to write African news based on the African perspective (Fourie, 2010: 228). Further, the theory of critical economy states that the relationship between the media industries and economic structure is influenced by ideologies within the context of media (McQuail, 2005:100).
In conclusion, it is apparent that the media merely reflect reality in both social and social context. Their contents are manipulated to avoid risks related to legal issues, create ideologies suitable to the society, and are dominated by political interests. The media does not translate reality other than translating reality relative to social and political circumstances. Thus, it is apparent that the media will never hold up the mirror to societies.
References
Allan, S. (2005). Journalism: Critical issues. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press
Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. 2003. Media/Society. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.
Fourie, (2010). Media studies. Cape Town: Juta.
Maggo, E. (2006). Crazy-foto’s ‘was nie verkeerd’. Die Burger: 2006-05-18:2.
McQuail, D. 2005. McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory. (Fifth edition). London: Sage.
Preston, P. (2008). Making the News: Journalism and News Cultures in Europe. New York city: Routledge.
Taljaard, Jan. 2006. Burger-redakteur, lesers in skerp debat oor moordfoto’s. Die Burger, 2006-04-29.
Wasserman, H. 2007. Media & Society: news media, representation and power. [Course notes]. Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch.