Blog #9

For this presentation, I researched mainstream media. In the field of journalism, mainstream media is a term used to describe large mass news media. Mass news media impacts the way society thinks and acts towards specific topics. Mass news media is the complete opposite of alternate media because it focuses on major news organizations. Today, the major news corporations include The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, and ABC News. These news outlets control the majority of the content that is produced. These news organizations have grown into major corporations employing thousands of people. These news organizations are viewed by people all over the world. It is interesting to note that the majority of these news organizations are located in New York City. For instance, from personal experience,  my mom lives in Florida, but she still regularly reads the New York Times. She was even photographed for a piece based in Florida at a polo match she attended. Even though the New York Times is based in New York, it still reports on current news stories worldwide. This is because these major news corporations have employees working from all around the world. More and more people rely on major news corporations rather than local news stations. 

One way mainstream media is beneficial is the fact that it can be an effective way to spread information. Other news stations tend to copy what these big news corporations are producing, so it can be vital to spread important information. For example, when things such as tragedies occur, it is important to spread awareness about them. For instance, if a worldwide tragedy is happening, such as 9/11, it is essential for people's safety that information is spread quickly. 

However, this can also lead to a mass spread of misinformation. If a company like the Washington Post publishes a false story, that false information will spread rapidly. People tend to believe whatever these big news corporations post immediately, and that can be detrimental. An instance in which false information was spread was during the COVID-19 epidemic. These news corporations reported news stories that were not always accurate, but society blindly believed it, and misinformation quickly spread. As previously mentioned, mainstream media and mass news media affect the way society thinks. This is because people believe that all of the content these big-name publications produce are the most reliable sources. However, this can be problematic because society is not questioning if what they are reading is true or not. 

Building off of this, because these corporations are so popular, they control what is trending.  According to Jim Morris, "Whoever controls the media controls the mind.” This is extremely problematic because if only one perspective is being shared, then other viewpoints are not being represented. This leads to a lack of opinions and diversity. Additionally, this leads to group polarization. Due to the lack of other viewpoints it can cause consumers to have naive and more extreme mindsets. Using media, these big news corporations are able to shape our beliefs and how we see the world.