Journalist speaks against "weapons of mass distraction"
Irina Kuchevski
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Life
Veteran journalist Jeff Cohen gave a presentation called "An inside view of contemporary media: war, race and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr." last Thursday, as part of the Mount's annual Martin Luther King week.
Cohen has been a journalist since the 70's and has had a lot of experience dealing with the media.
Throughout a highly intriguing presentation Cohen explained the way our nation perceives today's top news.
Cohen began by claiming that giant media conglomerates are sitting on the wind pipe of the first amendment by covering news that is superficial and suppressing those that want to seek out the real stories.
Dr. King would surely have frowned upon the actions of these conglomerates.
Over the years Mr. Cohen has remained a vociferous critic of mainstream media and after reporting about Dr. King in the 1970's started the media criticism group FAIR.
FAIR studied who got to speak on the news in mainstream media and found that experts and sources sought out by mainstream media were 90% white and 90% male.
Cohen explained that the giant media conglomerates give fewer chances for minorities to work within the company.
The journalist went on to mention that the Pakistan-India nuclear tensions of the late 1990's were completely ignored in favor of local, "popular" news like Britney Spears's latest haircut or outing. Cohen called these types of news items "weapons of mass distraction."
He went on to mention that news programs focus on stories like Britney Spears because stories like that do not offend any of the major television network sponsors and also happen to be very cheap to cover.
Cohen learned from years of working behind and in front of the camera that opposition to the government administration is not only unwelcome but is also suppressed.
He mentioned that most people only associate Dr. King with his strong opinions on the civil rights movement, but King was also staunchly opposed to the Vietnam War and would have undoubtedly been opposed to the Iraq war if he were alive today.
Above all Cohen stressed the importance of going beyond mainstream media to seek diversity among growing independent media Web sites.
It seems that diversity and cultural understanding are missing from today's mainstream media.
Whether the public is willing to make an extra effort and go beyond those sources remains to be see
Cohen has been a journalist since the 70's and has had a lot of experience dealing with the media.
Throughout a highly intriguing presentation Cohen explained the way our nation perceives today's top news.
Cohen began by claiming that giant media conglomerates are sitting on the wind pipe of the first amendment by covering news that is superficial and suppressing those that want to seek out the real stories.
Dr. King would surely have frowned upon the actions of these conglomerates.
Over the years Mr. Cohen has remained a vociferous critic of mainstream media and after reporting about Dr. King in the 1970's started the media criticism group FAIR.
FAIR studied who got to speak on the news in mainstream media and found that experts and sources sought out by mainstream media were 90% white and 90% male.
Cohen explained that the giant media conglomerates give fewer chances for minorities to work within the company.
The journalist went on to mention that the Pakistan-India nuclear tensions of the late 1990's were completely ignored in favor of local, "popular" news like Britney Spears's latest haircut or outing. Cohen called these types of news items "weapons of mass distraction."
He went on to mention that news programs focus on stories like Britney Spears because stories like that do not offend any of the major television network sponsors and also happen to be very cheap to cover.
Cohen learned from years of working behind and in front of the camera that opposition to the government administration is not only unwelcome but is also suppressed.
He mentioned that most people only associate Dr. King with his strong opinions on the civil rights movement, but King was also staunchly opposed to the Vietnam War and would have undoubtedly been opposed to the Iraq war if he were alive today.
Above all Cohen stressed the importance of going beyond mainstream media to seek diversity among growing independent media Web sites.
It seems that diversity and cultural understanding are missing from today's mainstream media.
Whether the public is willing to make an extra effort and go beyond those sources remains to be see
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