Exposing Media Myths

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Awad Abdelghani

Krstal Johnson

English 1010-008

Sept.19,2005

Exposing Media Myths

In the essay “Exposing Media Myths: TV Doesn’t Affect You as Much as You think,” Joanmarie Kalter claims that there are some “false truths” about television news. Kalter argues that poll questions about the TV weren’t very specific. She claims that TV news doesn’t set public agenda and newspapers are the frame works of the public concern. Kalter declares issues why TV news was not the reason for the change in public opinion

According to polls, two thirds of the American people receive their news from the TV. Kalter thought it was down right impossible because based on the poll question it was not specific . Scholars found when asked a more specific question about TV and newspapers they found out 67 percent read a newspaper and 52 percent watched local television.(392) Kalters argument on this myth probably wouldn’t help people change their minds about TV news.

Kalter believes that TV doesn’t set public agenda but it lets us know what is going on . Dr. Maxwell McCombs explained that TV journalist

Have to wait until an issue is at public interest, therefore it doesn’t play a big role in public agenda .(392) Kalter also claimed that the public took a long time to share the concerns about Watergate.

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Of course Kalter would claim that TV news didn’t change public opinion abut the war in Vietnam . A professor form Northwestern University named Lawrence Lichty, Found that coverage of the war didn’t become critical until 1967, by that time already the death toll of the Americans was already soaring which by now the American public support dropped .Even though TV news stations broadcasted gory pictures ,that was only five percent of the heavy combat shown.

When I asked a some of my friends if they had a choice of which they would rater get their news from the TV or a newspaper ,All of them replied the TV mainly because it is more up to date then the newspaper which has yesterdays news. Apparently Kalter wasn’t giving us more up to date poll results which can change