by Ravi Embar

Created on: June 11, 2008

Many news programs of the mainstream news media stopped reporting the news a long time ago.

The main function of the numerous news personalities and "filibuster" anchors seems to be to interpret the news and add the appropriate spin of their own or the spin of the persons and groups who are the stakeholders of the particular media organization. They seem to provide more air time for spokespersons and representatives of groups that espouse certain viewpoints and causes, limiting or denying airtime for those individuals and groups that do not meet with their approval.

In the current Presidential race, the continual focus on certain candidates, giving them valuable air time when other equally, if not more qualified, candidates were effectively not given any coverage has meant that, for all intents and purposes, the media powers are selecting and promoting candidates of their choice into political office.

In the primary Presidential debates, it was candidates like Ron Paul, with innovative ideas and solutions, who received the short end of the microphone. It was indeed interesting to see the different tone and attitude that the moderator and the panel adopted towards whom they considered the major candidates and towards those they had dismissed as unimportant. Some of the media persons who have morphed into media personalities, with corresponding egos, maybe feel that rather than simply reporting the news, they need to make the news or be part of the news also. In previous Presidential debates, third party candidates were given short shrift and in several instances, the very qualified Green Party candidate, Ralph Nader was not even allowed to take part in the Presidential debates, some of them sponsored by the news organizations.

If the media outlets and two mainstream parties are confident that the candidates of their choice represent the best persons to lead the country, then they should not shy away from allowing independent and other established party candidates, who have the backing of a sizeable fraction of the electorate, to participate in the Presidential debates. Once the third party candidates are included in the debates, they should be allotted equal time to provide their responses and ideas. This will allow the public the chance to compare the choice of the mainstream parties and media with the other candidates. The general public might also gain valuable insight into why some of the media organizations promote certain candidates.

As most members of the news media are no doubt aware, the responsibility of the news media is to report the news and allow the viewers to form their own conclusions. If all the news media were to work towards that end, it will be a welcome return to balanced reporting and news coverage for mainstream media.

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