The Media’s Perspective

Over the last decade, the political, social, and economic views of many Liberians have been shared through the new world order, social media. Their social media accounts are not void of preaching politics, lifestyle, or personal opinions, among other things. For most people, the media is the mirror of how one’s life is portrayed in society and that of the state. For the local and international news, newspapers, and online bloggers, the Media’s Perspective is given by the interest of their viewers. Smart move you may think, but actually, the media can distort the frequency and reasons behind crime as an effort to make news stories more interesting and appealing. 

With my experience in conflict and peacebuilding, permit me to first judge the media for committing themselves to the creation of conflicts among peers and societies around the globe, knowingly or unknowingly, especially in the case of the developing generation. Often trivial or insignificant events can be blown out of proportion to make a headline and draw audience revenue. Not only is this unfair, but it is also unpatriotic. Citizens and interested parties who are truly concerned often waste time and energy consuming biased or prejudiced pieces of information clearly designed to make a profit for certain individuals’ interests. Sadly, it is the image of the person or state being used to entertain the viewers that is risked.

Harry S. Truman once said, “You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have all the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on.” Certainly, Truman’s statement reflects the need for free access to unbiased information and the representation of different opinions in our society. Some information fuels the mind with power; others are handles for crisis and misjudgment.  As a developing nation that is greatly involved with social media, the role of the media in Liberia shouldn’t be defined by the information posed, but rather information that carries both sides of a story. In a society that has a growing number of its population depending on social media for information, it is significant to monitor how news broadcasts are revealed and to be watchful on how they impact public discourse. In any culture of prevention and democracy that seeks peace and prospects, the media is indispensable. 

The media has however been massively misused for propaganda, to incite hatred, spread false rumors, and create tensions. Unfortunately, this has turned out to be a way of distributing information to the rest of the world about what is happening within our boundaries. Counter-arguments on topics ranging from politics or personal views of how people should appear or simply live their lives have become a burning issue on the daily agenda of viewers. If the information suits my point of view and beliefs, why not share it with the rest of the world. If not, leave a comment of disbelief and snide judgment.  Who knows if it is just what you are looking for to brighten your day or worsen it? Some just share based on their personal relationships with the poster of the article, painting, blogging, achievements, you name it. At times, the information is shared without even being read through or knowing the full context of the source. As long as it is related to a particular belief, it is shared regardless of the information. 

I personally think that this era of media lends itself to controlling people much more completely and that our whole sense of existence is tied up with the ability of people to think differently than what the mass culture tells them. How can we fix this? The answer to this question is what I am yet to find.

Authored by Isaac G. Redd Jr

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