In the United States, lack of information occurs all the time, but is overlooked because governmental manipulation of the media does not expose it. The people, who should be controlling the government, are instead controlled by faulty reporting based on government hearsay. Even in the beginning of American history, the government was not always completely honest with the people. To avoid a public uproar, presidents and their appointed administrations manage to steer the media away from scandals or horrific events that could influence public opinion.
For unrestrained government manipulation, the cabinet needs an “in” with the media. If a member of the governmental cabinet working on a secret project plan purposefully “leaks” information while acting for the President in a manipulation attempt, the media would believe it and cover it, which misinforms the public.
An example of government manipulation of the media is Clinton’s success in refocusing the public’s attention away from the United State’s engagement in a war on terrorism. The President’s personal life was exposed to the public. An affair with Monica Lewinsky began in 1995. It appeared to deflect the media from the unsuccessful bombings in Sudan to find Bin Laden. The media had a top story, covering the affair, so without air time dedicated to war reports and investigations, the war flew under the radar gun. The sex scandal became more important than world affairs. Unfortunately for Clinton, although the affair lessened the coverage of the war, many do not condone sex scandals. The Republican Party in 2000, used the scandal to their benefit in 2000, and created a moral campaign with President Bush, a born-again Christian, as their candidate.
There are many examples that clearly indicate how the media has swayed, molded, and manipulated public opinion. In fact, what is amazing is that the media’s view blends into actually becoming public opinion. Water-cooler chatter often times is merely mimicking or parroting the previous nights coloring of the news, with little or no analysis by the general public. Obviously, government manipulation of the media is quite dangerous, as the general public may not have the necessary time or skill level to differentiate between fact and fiction. This issue is of great concern in a democracy where voter knowledge is quite important to the outcome of elections and future leadership of our country. The news media presents these slanted and often-erroneous viewpoints, and the presenters of the information pay handsomely for airtime. To allow the media to unilaterally or arbitrarily inform the public with what should air and what should not, is an even more detrimental solution. This solution could actually curtail the right of free speech to factions of our society that are not in the inner political circle of wealth.