Part 1. Situation Definition:
In the Kimberly Dozier lecture, she alluded to two major ethical dilemmas. The first, less noticeable dilemma was yellow journalism. While I’m not accusing her of yellow journalism, some of her anecdotes reminded me of Brian Williams and his embellished Iraq War stories. But she also said that we only get the “American side of the story” for war reports, which lead me to think about yellow journalism as a means to move the American public to support war(s).
The second ethical issue that is was almost encouraged by Dozier is agenda setting. In her lecture she said that soldiers are seen as threats to the public after their return from war making it difficult for the soldiers to find jobs and get acclimated in society. She was vehement that it wasn’t the case, which created doubt in my mind on how objective she is when writing on that topic because of her bias.
Part 2. Analysis:
The U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian describes yellow journalism as “a style of newspaper reporting that emphasized sensationalism over facts” (Par 1). In the same article, there is evidence of yellow journalism as a method to convince the public behind an idea or to support wars. It’s a method to manipulate public opinion subconsciously.
Brian Williams is seen to have employed yellow journalism to improve his image and to create support for US veterans. In 2003, Williams reported on a story about being a part of a helicopter bombing and over the years he continued to embellish the story to make it sound like he was acting more bravely and also because he wanted to bring attention to veterans. In the NY Times’ “Brian Williams Suspended From NBC for 6 Months Without Pay” by Emily Steel and Ravi Somaita, Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News, is quoted in saying, “This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position.” So it’s not a matter of media firms thinking yellow journalism is okay, because writers from different mediums agree that it is wrong, it’s a matter of individuals finding spaces to embed embellishments in their stories for personal gain. Stephen P. Burke, the chief executive of NBCUniversal said, “By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News. His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate.” Williams shouldn’t have deviated from the truth, especially because he had the support and trust of the public, and he let them down.
Dozier also touched on the idea of agenda setting, which isn’t too far from what Brian Williams was doing in his discussions of the Iraq War. Agenda setting, as defined by Gerald M. Kosicki, professor at The Ohio State University, “deals with the link between issues as portrayed in mass media content and the issue priorities of the public… as policy agenda-setting work, literature growing out of institutional analysis perspectives in political science… which examines the antecedents of media content relating to issue definition, selection, and emphasis” (Kosicki 101). Simply put, through the study of mass media, political science and sociology, among other fields on people, the news medium can influence its audience’s perspectives. That is what Dozier seemed to suggest when she spoke about supporting the soldiers. Yes, it seems fair to say that the soldiers that protect America should have America’s support, but in her role as a journalist, she fails to meet a fundamental rule of objectivity. Also, Williams in his public verbalization of support towards US troops in Iraq participated in agenda setting because he is a public figure that many people trusted and supported.
In order to understand “agenda setting” it is important to understand the other side of the equation, which is the audience being affected. Maxwell McCombs and Natalie J. Stroud of the University of Texas at Austin said that the effects of agenda settings take a two-pronged approach (McCombs, Shroud 73). “Since not every issue has equal personal meaning for all audience members, it will be processed more peripherally by some and more centrally by others” (McCombs, Shroud 74). This means that whether agenda setting happens indirectly and subconsciously or directly and consciously, information given by news outlets can still persuade the audience into particular mindsets. People’s agendas could be set just from hearing information on TV while washing the dishes, or while watching a Rangers game where Brian Williams is just as easily as it happening while paying attention to the news.
Part 3. Conclusion:
Yellow journalism and agenda setting are both tools to manipulate an audience into thinking differently about a subject. It may be as small as thinking that one product is better than another or it may be as large as moving America’s public behind a war because of misleading “facts.” In either case, these ethical issues employ deception. And being in a position of trust, journalists have an obligation not to deceive the public.
Both of these issues that were brought to light in the Dozier lecture are relevant to any news consumer because yellow journalism and agenda setting happen under the radar. Most people don’t know that they are being manipulated because they trust the news organizations, anchors and journalists. But it is important that people know the truth and to avoid ethical dilemmas such as these.
Part 4. References:
Anslinger, B. (2015, February 9). Tim Terpak, Brian Williams: Tri-State Army veteran front and center in NBC anchor’s Iraq controversy. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://www.wcpo.com/news/region-indiana/brian-williams-tri-state-army-veteran-front-and-center-in-nbc-anchors-iraq-controversy
Kosicki, G. (1993, January 1). Problems and Opportunities in Agenda-Setting Research. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://b0.rimg.tw/research_information/ec9a7159.pdf
McCombs, M., & Shourd, N. (2014, January 1). Psychology of Agenda-Setting Effects Mapping the Paths of Information Processing. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://www.rcommunicationr.org/index.php/component/jdownloads/finish/13/25?Itemid=0
Steel, E., & Somaiya, R. (2015, February 10). Brian Williams Suspended From NBC for 6 Months Without Pay. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/business/media/brian-williams-suspended-by-nbc-news-for-six-months.html?_r=0
U.S. Diplomacy and Yellow Journalism, 1895–1898 – 1866–1898 – Milestones – Office of the Historian. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2015, from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/yellow-journalism