News Stories That Changed the World
Introduction
Rendell, Hart and Hollar have said broadcasting the truth can improve the world, while news that twists or denies realities of our existence can have momentous consequences. We believe this concept and to demonstrate it we have complied 3 major news stories since the year 2000 that have had a major impact on our society both nationally and internationally – and both for better or for worse. These three examples are not meant to be a collection of the most historic stories of the past 12 years; but rather to demonstrate the power the media holds. It’s no secret that journalism is under attack in a myriad of ways; particularly the notion that it deserves to exist as a governmental watchdog. Another river has feed into this phenomenon that allows the public to question the legitimacy of journalism, that is that as viewers we are obviously not able to witness these events firsthand, therefore the media has the power to create pictures in our heads; however they may or may not always be the correct ones. Furthermore this ties in with the daunting concept that we only know what we are told; the media have the ultimate control but how far does this extend? In the cases and media coverage of Hurricane Katrina, Abu Ghraib and Weapons of Mass Destruction this notion varies greatly.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina stands in history as the costliest natural disaster in modern America as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the United States. Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on the 25th August 2005 before moving over southern Florida to the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, reaping a path of destruction along its way. On the 28th of August it reached its peak in Louisiana with the end result of over 100 billion dollars’ worth of damages and a loss of almost 2000 lives.
The impact was felt in political, economic, and social terms however the impact on the media and the impact of the media coverage was one of great magnitude also. Many
Rendell, Hart and Hollar have said broadcasting the truth can improve the world, while news that twists or denies realities of our existence can have momentous consequences. We believe this concept and to demonstrate it we have complied 3 major news stories since the year 2000 that have had a major impact on our society both nationally and internationally – and both for better or for worse. These three examples are not meant to be a collection of the most historic stories of the past 12 years; but rather to demonstrate the power the media holds. It’s no secret that journalism is under attack in a myriad of ways; particularly the notion that it deserves to exist as a governmental watchdog. Another river has feed into this phenomenon that allows the public to question the legitimacy of journalism, that is that as viewers we are obviously not able to witness these events firsthand, therefore the media has the power to create pictures in our heads; however they may or may not always be the correct ones. Furthermore this ties in with the daunting concept that we only know what we are told; the media have the ultimate control but how far does this extend? In the cases and media coverage of Hurricane Katrina, Abu Ghraib and Weapons of Mass Destruction this notion varies greatly.
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina stands in history as the costliest natural disaster in modern America as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the United States. Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on the 25th August 2005 before moving over southern Florida to the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, reaping a path of destruction along its way. On the 28th of August it reached its peak in Louisiana with the end result of over 100 billion dollars’ worth of damages and a loss of almost 2000 lives.
The impact was felt in political, economic, and social terms however the impact on the media and the impact of the media coverage was one of great magnitude also. Many