When I was a journalism student in college, I read a quote that has stuck with me to this day. In fact, the longer I consume and observe media, the more I perceive its thruth. The quote went something like this:
"The media may not be good at telling people what to think, but it’s excellent at telling people what to think about."
We’ll have to leave aside talk radio and partison blogs–whose soul purpose is to tell you what to think. At least those are easy to spot and generally speak to the choir. That quote once again rang true as I read a recent update from war correspondant Michael Yon. With regard to how things are going in Iraq, he says:
National reconciliation and the introduction of the rule of law, along with economic development, are likely to be the next big stories. Unfortunately, these stories might go untold as demand for news from Iraq plummets along with the violence. It no longer makes economic sense for many news agencies to keep people here. Those who do stay operate at a loss. If making a profit is important, reporting from Iraq is a bad business decision.
It’s something to think about.
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