Reading Response

I found the chapter 6 to be an interesting chapter that addressed some important issues in regards to mainstream and alternative media. In particular, I felt the issue of establishing credibility through reliable sources to be an important problem in regards to mainstream media. History has shown that journalists, such as Steven Glass, have not only been able to makeup facts in their stories, but have gone as far as fabricating stories in their entirety. The case of Steven Glass is also quite disturbing due to the fact that he reported for a reliable magazine that did thorough background checks on their publicized articles. Although this may be an extremist example, it does cause one to ponder what else may be fabricated in the media today. Alternative media, although sometimes more subjective, also raises issues of credibility due to the fact that most bloggers and amateur producers do not have the resources to accurately investigate a story. Its seems it wouldn't be hard to list sources and links in order to allow the public to further investigate a story if questions of reliability came up. As Moeller points out, this would help the public to regain its trust in the media.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/07/60minutes/main552819.shtml

Another issue I found to be quite concerning was how mainstream media depicts troubling issues such as war. In a society that is plagued with violent images, it is quite interesting that the realities of war are often watered down by mainstream media. I think alternative media can play an important role in this issue, by displaying casualties of war that may be more accurate in comparison to mainstream media. However I think mainstream media needs to be held accountable for delivering accurate news to the public so the audience understands war from the same perspective as the military.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/business/media/26carr.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1211821486-I10AfxcsvGLukXbVlomPKA

In regards to Darwin's discussion of Journalism vs. Activism, I tend to agree that reporting from both sides is important for accurately delivering a story. I think this not only helps establish credibility for a journalist but also causes the reader to view the story from a perspective they may not have considered. I think the story of the Chiapas massacre was particularly difficult for Deepa because she had witnessed the aftermath of the massacre. The idea of being a truly objective reporter seems not to be important for Deepa, which is why she might have wanted to report the story from only the side she sympathized with. However, this type of reporting can tend to lend itself more towards activism then journalism.