The media is an important source of information for most Americans. The media can take on many forms, including news programs, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. Since the media is the main source of information for most citizens today, it is important that it is reliable. This may make one question the trustworthiness of the media. In actuality, the media does not necessarily report both sides of every story, which can dramatically skew people’s perceptions on important issues. This paper will compare the reality of one such issue, global warming, to its portrayal by the media.
The media likes to portray global warming as a crisis. They use such phrases as, “global warming effects have a potential to be so disastrous that many terrestrial and marine ecosystems and habitats around the planet may, at best, be severely damaged, and at worst, disappear altogether” and, “there is a real fear among some small island inhabitants that their lands may totally disappear under water because of rising sea levels caused by global warming” (Global). According to the media, global warming is happening, and it’s a crisis. If people do not change their ways soon, we will all…what? Will we all die as a result of our inaction? The media might have us believe this. The five supposed deadliest effects of global warming are spread of disease, warmer waters and more hurricanes, increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves, economic consequences, and the polar ice caps melting (5 Deadliest).
Another movement that was blown out of proportion with the help of the media was the Red Scare.
Throughout much of the twentieth century, the United States worried about Communist activities within its borders. This concern led to sweeping federal action against Aliens and citizens alike during periods known today as Red scares. Using the derogatory term Red for Communist, the phrase is a form of criticism: it implies overreaction resulting from excessive suspicion, unfounded accusation, and disregard for Constitutional Law. The first Red scare followed the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in November 1917, and lasted until 1920 (The Red Scare Legal).
This fear was fueled when “word was leaked to the press that the government was tracking the activities of prominent American citizens who had voiced criticisms of the war effort and other government policies” (“The Red Scare”) and after that it escalated into paranoia.