Thursday, January 3, 2013

        Sometimes the media brings to light atrocities that demand change and sometimes its exploits them by scaring the public and reinforcing old prejudices 
      This article about the media's coverage of a young woman who died after being gang-raped on a Delhi bus, pointed out how the coverage of this event has brought to light the problem of sexual assaults in India. However it also has driven people to the streets to demand justice.  
      When a story goes global there is no way to hide it any longer.  You can't deny it, say no comment, or exercise the 5th in the court of the media.  Just like many people in America have demanded new gun control laws in the wake of the shooting in Connecticut people in India have gone to the street to demand new laws sexual assault laws and the hanging of everyone who took part in the gang-rape.  
           But just because a story goes global doesn't mean it will lead to cultural change or new laws. 
The problem is that so many stories go global, that they seem to drown each other out.  It the hours after a big story hits the media picks at it like flies pick at a dead horse publishing every juice detail, playing out every theory until they have made all of us so confused and horrified that we can barely recall what the story was about in the first place.       
Before we can put all the pieces together another breaking story comes across the wire and we our given a new monster to fear. 
     A few days after the incident in New Delhi, a crowd of villagers in India publicly beat a politician accused of rape.  I wonder what would happen if we could publicly beat every politician that is accused of committing a crime in the media.
     I like to watch shows like "Reliable Sources"  and "Daily Showthat are critical of the way the media covers important stores. We need more programs and stories that commend the media when they bring important stories to light and condemn them when they spread rumors. 

           


need more good stories about victims

need a filter more shows that look at it and think about good vs bad.  or at least make fun of it.     

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