Media corruption

     Even though we might not realize it, we can be easily corrupted without noticing it. As a student, I have time for schoolwork and leisure. My leisure time involves surfing the net (facebook, blog, news websites,  etc.) and watching television. Just recently, in one of my classes, we were discussing social construction of reality. In that theory, they said that our perception of reality is greatly influenced or created by our surroundings or society. What if the news we see and hear from the television are tweaked so that other people might gain something if it was believed by the people?  What if we are already being manipulated by the media? What is our reality? I think that we are already corrupted unconsciously. 
     
     Almost every day I hear news about politicians; Politicians who are given bad comments and politicians who are praised. If you think about the business of newspaper companies and tv stations, every portion of the newspaper or every minute of airing in television costs thousands or millions of pesos. It is possible that corrupt politicians might take advantage of their corrupt money to pay for those spaces in the newspapers or time in the tv airtime to make people believe that they are innocent, good, and are doing their job properly. Other people are easily bribed to tweak what they believe in. the most common reason is poverty. If you think about it, who would resist thousands or even millions of pesos offered to you just to edit the words you use to make a person look good to the public? Do take note that column writers only get a small salary per story or article they write. Maybe they will think that tweaking some of the words will not affect the purpose of the news, but in fact it definitely makes a difference. Just like in the editorial above, it shows reality. Reality wherein it is attempted to be socially constructed by the media people, spokespersons or representatives. Now, should we always believe what is shown to us in the news?


     Before, I always say that I don’t trust our government or the police. In times wherein I needed the police, I thought that I should rather approach the media people since they would expose bribery, corruption, etc. But after that discussion, my perspective on the media people has changed, not that I am totally against them, I just don’t trust everything they state or say in the news.