The mass media - cause of voter's apathy?

It seems as if voters are getting more and more apathetic with each election that passes, and in my opinion, the underlying cause is the media. There is constant coverage regarding the presidential election and the candidates, and as the primaries and the actual Election Day gets closer, it’s only going to get worse. Of course, it’s important that voters are informed when the day comes to make a choice, but there comes a point when it’s just too much. Do we really need to know about the candidates’ food choices while campaigning in each city (courtesy of The New York Times)? Do we really have to see videos and ads of the candidates while browsing YouTube and Facebook? The media overwhelms us with coverage and is taking substance away from our leisure activity, causing many to avoid it, not pay attention, lose interest, or even despise it.

With all the media coverage candidates are getting, they are getting more and more guarded of their actions and words, afraid that they might slip up and lose voters. They are no longer comfortable with speaking freely on their beliefs and stance on certain topics, knowing that what they say will be heard by nearly everyone in the nation, since computers and TVs are so easily accessible nowadays. Trying to please as many people as they can and offend as little as possible, candidates will most likely act and speak as their voters would like them to. They promise one thing and do the complete opposite when the opportunity arises. One only needs to look at the Congress, where Democrats are in the majority. They promised to have a solution to many issues, most importantly the war. They promised, if given the chance, they would put a halt to it as soon as possible. Only now are they beginning to force President Bush into considering withdrawing the troops.

With all this press and coverage that only shows candidates of lying and making false promises, how can one get excited about voting? How can we know that who we vote on will lead our country into a different direction than it is now?

A response to "How the media has ruined Halloween"

Herdeman's Political Page contains a great and unique commentary. It had never occurred to me that the dangers of Halloween shifted from razors hidden in apples to kidnappers and rapists. My mom's biggest fear when I was younger was that the candy would be tainted, but it never prevented me from going door to door and having fun. With today's fears, many children are probably missing out from the joy of walking around with your friends at night and watching your bag fill up with delicious candy. To me, Halloween is like an American pastime. No other countries that I know of celebrate Halloween the way we do, and it’s a pity that more and more children are unable to celebrate in this unique culture of ours.

I completely agree with you when it comes to the media’s portrayal of sex offenders. They love to give interesting and exciting news, and nothing is more interesting than the prospect of a child, or any other person, getting kidnapped and raped. Whether we like to admit it or not, it holds our attention and piques our interest more than most other news stories. I, myself, am guilty of this too. One of my favorite television shows is “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”. The show is based around people, mostly women and children, being sexually abused. It’s a depressing and dark show at times, but it’s one of the most interesting shows on television right now.

I believe the issue runs deeper than with merely Halloween. Just today, I heard a report that one in five children (or something similarly ridiculous) are not allowed outside because their parents are too afraid of what’s out there. This is obviously the media’s fault with their coverage of all the dangers in the world. In the wise words of a government professor, “the media can’t tell you how to think, but rather what to think about”.

Source: How the media has ruined Halloween