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Extra! Extra!

9/23/2013

83 Comments

 
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Peter Jennings once said, “Whoever controls the media controls reality.” Do you agree? Should we believe the news we read and see on television? Can the news media be used to manipulate us? Where do you get your news? 

83 Comments
Jeff H
9/23/2013 04:38:49 am

I do agree with the Peter Jennings' statement of, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." I agree with him because if someone can control what a society is given as truth then they can control what that "truth" is. In our country I believe that the news we are given is the truth of what is actually happening in other parts of our country and around the world. However, I can not be sure that what they are telling us is the absolute truth of the matter because the government has the power to control the news and other media. I think that we should believe the news that we read and see on television because I can not think of a reason that the American government would have to not tell us the truth about current events. The news media can absolutely be used to manipulate us. If the government wants the country to feel a certain way about someone or something or some place all they have to do is put the information they want us seeing on the news and in the papers and we will start to believe in what they say. We will be manipulated by the media because we can't know anything different. The government is able to do this because they have the power to regulate and control everything we watch or listen to or read and that power can be used as a way to manipulate massive amounts of people. I personally get most of my news either online or from my parents. I trust these sources. I trust my parents more than I trust the Internet only because my parents aren't able to be controlled by the government.

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Natalie P
9/23/2013 08:20:20 am

I agree, Jeff. The information presented to us by the government is usually seemingly true. What reason do we have not to believe them? The government is portrayed as an official source because they take on the huge responsibility of leading our country. As their citizens we should be able to have trust in them and not be skeptical towards the information they announce. However, you're definitely right about not being sure that the news they tell us is true or not. The government certainly has the power to manipulate us through media. If they want us to believe something, they can be quick to put up an article online or air a special on tv. Therefore, you're right about having to wonder if the news they provide us is true or not because of the role manipulation may have.

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Matthew Dogali
9/23/2013 10:28:24 am

I agree with you in the fact that it is hard to distinguish what is the truth and what is a lie. I also think that most people just don’t care enough to look into it deeper, which makes it easier to control the people and spread lies because people are too lazy and will believe what you tell them. I also believe that the news isn't completely bad and could be a good tool, but you also have to educate yourself outside what the news tells you.

Marcus E
9/26/2013 03:55:19 am

I agree with young Jeffrey, in that if someone can control what society receives as news then they can make them believe just about anything.

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Matthew Dogali
9/23/2013 10:14:46 am

I agree with the fact that those who control the media controls reality. So many people watch the news at night religiously, and take what they say as fact. In order for something to become fact you just need a majority of people to believe it. So when most people watch fox news at night, they can create whatever facts they want and people will believe them. It also doesn’t help that the government controls the news and can put anything they want on it. I truly believe that one of the worse things that has happened to our country is we accept things with blind enthusiasm. We need to ask more questions to our government and research for ourselves because there are a lot of statements and events in our country’s history that don’t make sense, but nobody questioned them so they became history. When the fact is that if the truth came out, the majority of people would be disgusted in our government. And it’s not even done well. There have been multiple times that fox news has had to come out and say they lied in a story. So the news can clearly be used to manipulate us as people. Personally I don’t listen to the news. I’ll do my own research online to find out what is happening, which I think is better because you can get different sides of the story. So it’s easier to look at all the facts and make you decisions based on what you find.

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Victoria C
9/23/2013 01:58:53 pm

That is a great point you bring up about how something can become a fact if the majority of people believe it. If only a handful of people believed something, it would blow over and everyone would forget about it. I think when a majority of people believe something though, it usually isn't true. That is why we have to be careful in those situations; when you don't know the whole truth, it's still better to trust a news source rather than anything someone will tell you.

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Dan Trombetta
9/24/2013 07:42:23 am

I agree with the fact that if the majority believes something, it doesn't matter if it's true. In addition, I agree with with the fact that it isn't right that Fox news has to apologize about lying in a story or not getting all of their facts right. It's technically there job to find the correct news and distribute it, not the peoples job to prove it right or wrong.

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Victoria C
9/23/2013 01:54:52 pm

Whoever controls the media does in fact control reality. People are generally quick to believe what they hear. This happens often with gossip and rumors spread through communities, societies, and other groups. I think this is because people are so eager to be the ones to break the news to someone else: but this should make us aware that the information we get may not always be accurate or even true. News sources that are reliable are the only ones we should be reading and watching. We should not waste time with gossip magazines, tabloids, or anything else of that kind. They are most often the ones to get the stories mixed up. I think we should trust that everything we see and read is true, but we should definitely be aware it might not be, which is unfortunate. Media can also be used to manipulate us. Feeding people untrue material can control their actions, just as the truth can; for example, informing someone of something simple such as the weatherman calling for rain when it will be dry all day may prompt a person to change their outfit and wear rain boots. As for myself, I get my news from a variety of sources everyday, but I know which ones are credible and usually believe what those sources say.

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Loreen Elbakry
9/23/2013 03:38:14 pm

Excellent response, Victoria. Very thorough.

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Becky G
9/24/2013 07:01:32 am

Victoria, it is a good point you bring up about how people are quick to believe what they hear. I agree with this point. I don't think people put enough thought into what they hear, so they just assume everything they hear on the TV or the newspaper is real. It is also true about how stories get mixed up. One person might hear one thing on the news, and tell someone, then people keep telling people from their own perspectives, and by the time it gets to a different person, the story has completely changed. Also, about how feeding people the truth can change their actions is also true. I stand by this, because a shooting may happen in a town close by, and the next day, the school that usually isn't so secure, is now enforcing all kind of rules to enforce safety. Just because of the incident that they heard on the news. Even if the event that occurred was exaggerated or not. And it is a good thing that you know what sources are credible ones.

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Taylor Saja
9/24/2013 07:38:44 am

Great point about people being quick to just believe what they hear! I think they like to be the one's to deliver the news to other people as well, like you mentioned. But I also think that people believe what they hear from others simply because it is easier to do that rather than question it. I also agree with the point you made about how we should take the information we receive as true, but just be aware some of it may be false. Further, what you said about feeding people misleading material and how it can control their actions, I also agree with. Using the weather was an excellent example of that. It is also a scary thought, to think that if the wrong person got the opportunity to, they could spread lies all over the media just to influence other people in a negative way, or cause them to react in a certain way.

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Kayla B
9/25/2013 01:18:07 am

That's a great point! I hadn't even thought about people wanting to be the first to know everything. I definitely agree with what you're saying about tabloids and gossip. I hear people talking about celebrities and their lives all the time, comparing completely different "facts". Or even things not related to celebrities. Such as the Newtown shooting (I hate to bring up such a horrible thing), but all I heard were people spouting the first thing they heard on the news instead of waiting for actual facts.

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Ryan P
9/25/2013 08:22:13 am

Victoria makes a valid point when saying that people are quick to believe what they hear. People are too quick to judge when they view news. Sometimes, the news they are viewing may not always be entirely true. These false assumptions can feed people false information, as previously stated.

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Jessica H
9/25/2013 09:59:07 am

I completely agree with your response Victoria. I believe that we should be able to trust that the information presented to us through the news is true. But I know that we also need to be aware that the news may not give us the whole truth, or they may exaggerate the event to make it seem more important or influential than it really was. It is a sad reality that we have to be skeptical of everything we are told today.

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Colleen I
9/25/2013 01:16:10 pm

I agree with you in the fact that people shouldn't listen to gossip magazines, and tabloids. Those are the mother ship of starting rumors. However, I don't think that we exactly should trust what we see on the news. A lot of times, we don't get the full story from the news. For example, if you look back during the Vietnam War. Reporters were only showing certain sides of the war. And, the government does in mild ways censor what does go on the news. Therefore, we do not always get the truth, leading us to believe something that is not always true.

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Dilsara L
9/25/2013 02:45:03 pm

I agree with you Victoria! I believe that we shouldn't waste our time trying to find truthful news through gossip magazines or tabloids. We shouldn't be so naive when it comes to serious problems such as this. The media can be feeding us lies, we just have to keep a look out for these lies, by questioning the news.

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Brianna G
9/25/2013 02:55:18 pm

Victoria, I completely agree with you on how people are quick to believe what they hear. In today's world once someone hears something they try and go and tell everyone first so they can say they are the ones who "told everyone." Their information although can be as misleading as the article they read or listened to on the news. By gossiping or spreading rumors about the news they just heard since it could be misleading they the information will not be accurate and the stories will get mixed up and become a giant mess of a story. Soon no one will know what information is correct or not.

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Sarah W
9/25/2013 02:59:55 pm

I really like the point you make about gossip and rumors. It is true that people just believe the first thing they say or hear. It is shame people no longer have common sense to believe the sources that are most reliable, rather than the ones that come out with false information immediately. Media does absolutely control actions and what we think of the world we live in.

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Kaleigh B
9/26/2013 12:20:12 pm

Victoria, I enjoyed reading your opinion about the news. Your blog was definitely the most noticeable and relatable, especially with the example of gossip and rumors. The weather was a fine example of how there is a need for multiple sources of information. Overall I am in agreement with your statement.

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Becky G
9/24/2013 06:54:05 am

Yes, I do agree with Peter Jennings' quote about 'Whoever controls the media controls reality'. Most people believe what they are told or what they see, right away. They are usually too lazy or uninterested to put in more effort and research said topic. People don't typically question anything that the news anchors tell them, because they are 'professionals' and they know what they are talking about. Since most Americans are so gullible, they will believe what they see, especially if there are a lot of visuals. I believe that we should not believe what we hear or see on the news, until we look further into the certain topics. Instead of making quick judgments, people should look more into the certain topics. Even though this would be the better thing to do, I think that this won't happen, especially considering the laziness and stubbornness of most Americans. The media and the news can be used to manipulated us. The news anchors are so good at their jobs that they can convince anyone of anything, because they are such good actors. I usually get my news from what I hear around my house and around school. I will occasionally watch the news on TV and it is surprising how well the anchors do at telling the stories. They use facial expressions and different tones of voices to put a certain mindset in our brains about a specific topic.

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Nick K
9/24/2013 01:48:11 pm

i definitely agree with Becky. especially the fact that many Americans are to lazy to even check there facts. i find that an uniformed community can really be detrimental to society. i also enjoyed the part that stated that news casters are just good actors that convey information. i think this is a good opinion.

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Taylor D
9/27/2013 04:27:45 am

I also believe that people usually do believe anything that they are told and they don't usually question it because it would take to much effort to try to find different opinions and ideas on that one topic. But I think that we have to question things that we are told because questioning something means that we are thinking and are complacent with a current situation.

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Taylor Saja
9/24/2013 07:23:50 am

I agree with the statement made by Peter Jennings, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." This is indeed true because the information given to the citizens of the United States is really all we have to go off of. The people in our country, for the most part, do not have outside sources in which they gain information from. So most of us believe what we are told and go with it. We should have trust and faith in our government that the news we are receiving via media is true, until we are given a reason not to trust it. Although I believe we should instill trust in our government to be honest with us, does not mean we should not form our own opinions on what we are hearing. The news media can be used to manipulate our views. Say another country made a statement or perhaps a threat to our country that was not as severe as the media made it out to be, the news may emphasize the comment in order to make sure the American people side with their country and get defensive. Also, maybe the media keeps us in the dark about anything negative the US does to other countries so we only see our country as positive. I personally get my news from my family and teachers. I tend to trust the information I get from them more so than any other source.

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Megan V
9/25/2013 09:36:19 am

Taylor, i agree with you. As citizens in this country, our only resource of other information is the government. We do not have outside sources.It is true that we should have trust to our government but they also should not be manipulating us. We all have the right to have our own opinions. A lot of times we are left in the dark as to what is going on because the government tends to leave the negatives out. This still does not make it fair.

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Jeff H
9/25/2013 12:25:20 pm

I agree with you Taylor when you say that most of us believe what the news tells us and goes with whatever they say is truth. And like you said we should feel comfortable trusting our government to inform us of the truth regardless if it makes the U.S. look bad. We should still know about it.

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Dan Trombetta
9/24/2013 07:29:28 am

Yes, I agree with this statement. For the most part, people get their information from generally similar sources like NBC or Fox News. Even if they get it online it's probably from a website controlled by one of these corporations. Thus, the people at the head of these businesses have to power to filter what is heard by the people and what isn't. Realistically, thousands of news worthy events happen every day, but someone out there chooses which ones are going to be heard. For example, the Sandy Hook shooting was a catastrophic event that was known all around America. However, since then, there have been several school shootings that no one has even heard about. This goes to show that there is someone who decides which events will get publicized. This person or people thus controls "reality". The news on TV is usually believable and true, however, it is usually biased to support a certain country, political party, or government policy. This would in turn be manipulative in a way, subconsciously planting ideas or opinions in peoples minds. I don't necessarily follow the news, but anything I hear is usually from a relative or friend who hears it on social media or TV.

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Josh T
9/25/2013 01:56:55 pm

I agree with you Dan, especially where you say that they pick and choose the events that gets publicized. It is almost as though they are filtering information to either make something look better or worse, when most anything that has an impact should be touched upon.

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Chris V
9/26/2013 02:40:15 pm

I agree with the fact that most of the sources to gather information are controlled by powerhouse corporations. The people have the power to choose what the public hears and what is not. It is up to complete interpretation of the government or whoever is calling the shots what is acceptable to be broadcast to the public.

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Chris V
9/24/2013 07:34:51 am

I do agree with Peter Jennings' statement. People today get their information whether it is local or global from the media. The media is always around and gathering information but we do not always know if what we are reading or watching is true. We should also take into consideration the scale of the news. Media tends to exaggerate something minor and blow it out of proportion. People need to use their judgement to decide whether or not the news we are hearing or reading is reliable. Big companies that are known for relaying information such as CNN should be trusted. Local news that are not as professional as CNN may end up relaying a distorted message to the people. I feel the government is more than capable of manipulating the media if they so choose so. The government is always alert of what is going on in country and even the world, but we as people are not as alert. A story may be too disturbing or dangerous to relay to the public so modifications may be made. The government's job is to protect the people and they may do so by adjusting news. The last thing the government wants is for the public to be running around chaotically about news they heard. I receive my news from my parents and occasionally from the television.

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Eric J
9/24/2013 07:46:14 am

I agree with Peter Jennings with his quote "Whoever controls the media controls reality." In today's society almost everybody interacts with the media in some way. This is the only source of news to most of these people so they would of course believe what they hear. The person that controls this information controls what the "ordinary" people believe and because the "ordinary" people are the majority, it becomes the reality. I do believe that we should read the news we see on television to a certain extent. This is generally the only source of news and this should not be shunned for a chance that it is untrue. With that being said we should not just listen to what we hear and follow exactly what is being said. From the information given our own thoughts on the topic should be made. The news can be used to manipulate us as in history we can see it has been done, but own information i believe is true. They might not necessarily being telling us everything but they cant tell us everything because that's how people can get around the security and end up doing bad things. I get my news from watching the news or sometimes my dad.

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Michael D
9/26/2013 06:19:12 am

Very good job Eric. I also agree that the media controls all of our general information. As a society, we trust the media to deliver honest news to us. However, I also agree with you that it can at times be used to manipulate us. Once again Eric, great job!

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Kyle C
9/24/2013 07:46:35 am

I agree with Peter Jennings and his quote that states, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." The media is a very powerful tool that many people learn from about surrounding countries and also our own United States. If the government in our sense can control what it puts out to our people, then it can control what thoughts we have about them. I think we should believe what information we are being given, but take everything with a grain of salt. Without a doubt in my mind there are many things that our government keeps secret form us and will do everything in its power to make us look great and other countries not so great. Like Snowden and Manning who exposed the government for committing unlawful acts and then being ruled whistle blowers, the controllers of the media are trying to paint them as whistle-blowers and trying to exile them. However, if you look at it deeper, they are benefiting the people and exposing to the majority of the people who are not in charge with information that is kept secret from them. The government is very much so manipulating its people in our country and also other countries around the world such as North Korea. North Korea controls the internet and also many other resources so that their people see only how great their country is hyped up to be. I believe our country is not as bad as North Korea, but our country manipulates us to believe a disliking of many other countries that may be a bit extreme. I find out my news through mainly my parents or friends mentioning something and me then maybe googling it to find out more about it. I like to take all my information with a open mind because I know there can possibly be more sides to the story than what we are told.

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Zach Pranger
9/24/2013 02:47:24 pm

I think this is a great comment Kyle C. I agree with you. I like how you advise taking information with a grain of salt. This is important to take note of while receiving information from the media. I also agree that the government is surely keeping some things from us. Your North Korea reference is also insightful. Overall fantastic comment. 10/10 would read again.

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Casey S
9/25/2013 05:19:32 am

Kyle I definitely agree with you that the media is a very powerful tool in today's society. I also agree with the fact that there's still a possibility that our government could be keeping important secrets from us. Its very difficult for the American people to know information that is not given to us from the government. The fact that you let information in with an open mind is good because if you just let one side affect your opinions then your information to other people could be somewhat false.

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Eric J
9/26/2013 06:22:45 am

Good job Kyle, I agree with your previous statement that North Korea controls its society through the media. I have also heard stories of North Korea limiting internet access and even television to its population as a means of manipulating its people. Also, I use Google as a means of receiving information too.

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Hannah B
9/24/2013 08:42:24 am

The media is known for breaking news and information regarding those new subjects. Depending on what media station; you can take in different viewpoints on every news story. For example, FOX news is a republican based media station and MSNBC is a democratic media station. Depending on what your political beliefs often depicts the news station you will watch. Also there is an independent media station such as the BBC which just reports on factual news only, and news readers don’t give their opinions. The BBC is reliable because they don’t give their opinions with a news story and they also provide evidence while broadcasting that the way an event happened, really happened. For example they will be broadcasting in the actual country when something is happening because they have many correspondents all around the world and the BBC will have witnesses LIVE to be interviewed about the event or situation. Whereas FOX and MSNBC news include their opinions with the actual story, which leads the audience to believe they’re not a reliable source of information. An example of news manipulation was last year when the Obama vs. Romney campaign was taking place. On FOX news the news reporters were saying right up until the last minute that Mitt Romney was winning the election, when in fact Obama was winning by quite a significant amount. On MSNBC a democratic news station, the poll for the votes showed that Obama was winning. We can never trust opinionated news stations such as FOX and MSNBC news. FOX especially since they were manipulating the audience by saying that Romney was in the lead, when in reality Obama was winning by a lot. I get my news from the BBC because they are not opinionated and they are trustworthy in their information.

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Natalie P
9/24/2013 09:27:56 am

I definitely agree with Peter Jennings's statement, “whoever controls the media controls reality.” Anything seen on television, read on the internet, or heard through some source of media is usually made to seem very official. Therefore, most information announced through media is often believed by people. However, it's easy to be skeptical towards the information we read and see on tv. I think it's simple to be pulled in by an interesting article or tv special that we automatically think it all must be true. Therefore, we feel the need to pass forward this news through several sources of communication, whether its media or conversation. If most people are saying it, it must be true, or so society usually thinks. Therefore, the news can certainly be used to manipulate us. Because most news stations are controlled by the government, they can control some of our actions by portraying certain situations through media. For instance, if a news channel states how the rate of robberies in a certain area has increased 90%, most people would begin locking every door to their house. Therefore, true or not, the news can mold our actions by presenting different stories. Usually, I get my news from google. I usually click on at least 4 different websites after googling if something is true or not to see if each site provides the same or different information. Also, if I'm watching tv, I will only pay attention to the news casted by local news stations rather than bogus channels such as Entertainment Tonight.

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Kevin L
9/25/2013 03:00:58 pm

Natalie, i really liked your example about robberies. It is very true that a news caster could get on TV and say something even if it is made up and people would believe it. Citizens take the information that is provided and believe it automatically because the man stating the potential lie is a big name on a big news show so it has to be the truth. But that is not the case all the time.

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Nick K
9/24/2013 01:45:12 pm

I believe that the media definitely controls the citizens of a nation. i also believe that the news is very corrupt both online and on television. in nations like north Korea, the media is everything. the governments just use it to control there citizens. the government just feeds lies to its people and makes them believe that everything they see is true. something very similar to this happens in america. many news stations such as NBC, to name one specifically, rarely have accurate and true news casts. after the recent navy shipyard shooting, the station reported the use of an AR-15 rifle, just to enforce there hatred of assault weapons. that specific weapon was not used, it was in fact a shotgun. many people watch that news cast and believe what they see. this leads to uniformed voters that should not be making the decisions of a powerfully country. this is what the media can do and i personally believe that this needs to be looked at and evaluated.

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Mrs. E
9/26/2013 06:27:39 am

Excellent point about the shipyard shooting, as well as the media's influence on misinformed voters. Nice work, Nick.

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Zach Pranger
9/24/2013 02:41:51 pm

I completely agree with Peter Jennings when he says “Whoever controls the media controls reality.” The media is widely utilized and trusted as a credible information source by millions of people in the United States alone. But the media may not always be accurate. News stations for example make reporting new information a priority before they actually check their facts. News stations can also be easily manipulated by the government to show the people what they want them to see. Most people immediately accept what they hear on the news as true. This makes the media a powerful tool with potential manipulating capabilities. It can easily be used by the government or anyone to tell us a false information that will be accepted. Proof of this can be traced back to 1938. Orson Welles did a radio broadcast in which he read The War of the Worlds. This caused widespread panic since people believed an alien invasion was actually happening due to the story coming from their trusted news source. This is evidence that the radio can be used to accidentally manipulate people. Its potential application to intentionally manipulate is also clear. I honestly get my news from twitter or when I'm half asleep in the morning while my father watches the news. My mother sometimes texts me when important stuff happens. The credibility of news sources could be placed into question but they have yet to fail me.

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Kayla B
9/25/2013 01:13:49 am

I totally agree that whoever controls the media controls reality. I am amazed at some of the things I hear people say, completely seriously, without any ounce of background information on the topic. So, yes, absolutely the media controls reality. I think that it is safe, for the most part, to believe what you hear on television, on the radio, or read in magazines or newspapers, however I also think it's important to compare the information you are "believing" to other sources. Chances are, if one news station is saying one thing and three are saying something completely different, that one station is incorrect. It's important to be smart about what you take as fact, because the media can (and is) used to manipulate us. Ever notice how most of the time they're just filling our brains with horrifying tales from other countries? Or even from our own? It's a distraction, make sure to pay attention to ALL news, not just what you have easy access to. I like to get my news from the internet them compare it to what I see on the television.

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Aaron Bullivant
9/25/2013 02:16:10 am

I agree with becky’s comment aswell. People need to take what the media states with a grain of salt. with the control that the powerful corporations and the government have over the media they would have the power to change whatever they need to change in order to make their own people or corporation look better and others worse. People need to form their own opinions from news that they see and hear from other places than the TV or even the internet. The media can definitely be used to manipulate the people of our country. If they reported the truth about many events or important things in our government or even our foreign affair without putting a bias slant on what they say it would be much better. But as you can tell from watching almost any news channel you cans see that people slant their information in order to get more people to take their side. Television is the worst offender of this though. With the amount of people that watch the news channels there is a large basis of people that get news that is slanted in order to gain support for the opposition or even the support of many different programs. That is how the government has been using the media through many of its different outlets to manipulate our feelings about certain topics. I get political news mostly from my grandfather, who loves to keep up with with politics and also ran for mayor once in his life. I also get other news from reddit, which tends to have a large enough blend of news sources that it keeps the website from being to bias to one political party or other groups. The government has been using media to manipulate us for a long time now. but now we have the ability to look for ourselves and try and find information that is unbiased so that is how we can stop the owners of media from “brainwashing” all of us with their slanted news.

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Aaron Bullivant
9/25/2013 02:26:33 am

I agree with you Hannah, If you do your best to avoid any sort of channel that has a known bias toward any specific political party you can get much better news. BBC is a great example of where you can go to find world news that wont be slanted in any way to make the people listening feel one way toward it. the some news stations here in america need to be more like the BBC in the way that we need to tell more unbiased news rather than spewing very bias news at people. People also need to rely on their own research on the events as well because i don't imagine anything truly changing in the big way that it truly needs to though

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Casey S.
9/25/2013 05:13:59 am

I do agree with Peter Jennings, that "Whoever controls the media controls reality." Presently, nearly everything is through the media and the internet. If I wanted to know what happened in Syria, I could just google it and find everything I need to know. However, if someone put something false about the events in Syria, I would never know because I cannot find proof. Therefore, the information I find is the reality.
I do not believe that we should believe and trust in everything in the media. As stated before, information could be altered without anyone even knowing. If the government says a statement, we automatically believe its the truth because its coming from our government that we confide in. It would be very easy for the media to manipulate us, because some close-minded people could believe everything they see. If some person claiming to be a scientist, stated on national television that the sky is actually purple, some may believe it because its a scientist that is saying it.
I tend to receive my news from either the internet or the t.v. My generation is constantly on their laptops or iPhones getting all their news and gossip off of twitter and Facebook. I also sometimes watch the news when there's something controversial and big going on somewhere near me or that affects me.

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Adam Lindemann
9/25/2013 03:04:38 pm

You make a really good point with your Syria example. There are so many websites that post misleading information. And when it comes to happenings on the other side of the world, it's nearly impossible to know the truth and be 100% confident in it. In my opinion, the best way to find information, is to do a Google search (like you said), but then check multiple sources to make sure that you are getting information that is at least agreed upon by different news sources. Now whether it is true or not, we may never know.

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Ryan P
9/25/2013 08:09:45 am

I agree with Jennings's statement that states "Whoever controls the media controls reality". Nearly every citizen turns to the media for their news. The authority of the media is enough to persuade the public's opinion and shape their minds into believing certain information. Since they are the lone standing source of discovering and revealing information, it is hard to refrain from believing in the things they say. With that said, people should believe the general concept of the news they are reading. This is because the media can't completely eliminate factual events from reaching the citizens, but they can modify and twist these events. Even with that said, the media can still manipulate and control citizens. They can adjust and reshape things they find to spice them up in order to persuade public opinion, and in a sense administer society. The news, to me, is almost irrelevant, as i hardly ever take time to learn about cultural and societal events. Whenever I do search for news, it is usually in the Waterbury-Republican newspaper or on the News Channel 8 tv series. But in most cases, my mom relays any noteworthy information to me.

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Megan V
9/25/2013 09:32:06 am

The people that are controlling the media are controlling reality. Typically, a bias is formed on the news and they use that to make one side worse than another. We hear that news and take the side that they want us to take because they make us believe it’s the best side. In my opinion, the news is trustworthy for a recap of an event. However, when it comes to small facts, the news says what it wants, it can twist the words of someone, using technology. Also, for instance, magazines like Us Weekly can easily be a scam because of a picture that can be perceived as something completely different than what was actually happening. I think that the over emphasizes what is actually happening. I believe that the news can very well be used to manipulate us because it’s feeding us information that typically we want to here. The government does not share all of its information to society which was recently discovered when someone let out that we have been being spied on by our very own government. Generally, I get my news from the television or if I hear something interesting from other people I look it up on the internet.

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Megan C
9/26/2013 07:56:51 am

I agree with the fact that the ones who are relaying the information to us as the people are bias. I do not know if I would say that the news is a reliable source for news due to the overseeing that larger more influential companies have on the forms of media. Telling them what to say and when to do so. Also when we are being told what we want to hear is most of the time not the case. I do not remember the last time that I heard news that made me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. most of the time the feeling that everything is going down hill due to all of the negativity on the news. The pieces of information that have been leaked just goes to prove how even though we are free to do as we want, the government has a strong grasp over what can and can not be released to us as the public.

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Jessica H
9/25/2013 10:24:02 am

I do agree with Peter Jennings’ statement. Most people will believe anything they hear on the news, which is how it should be. The news stations shouldn’t have to lie to us. But we must also be skeptical of the information we are presented by these stations. Their stories are factually driven, but many of them contain exaggerations of the real story, whether they are small or not so small. That’s how they get people’s attention. They exaggerate even the smallest, most insignificant events so that people think it was extremely important. That is also how they manipulate us. Since almost everyone believes in most of the things they read online or hear on the news and radio stations, it makes our government’s job easier to manipulate us. Other governments lie to their citizens, so why can’t our government lie to us? They can, although many Americans don’t want to believe that so they believe everything they hear on the news. I’m not saying you shouldn’t believe anything that you hear on the news or read about in an online report, but you should cross-reference any information that seems odd or extreme. And you should also be aware that not everything the news feeds Americans is the complete truth. I get some of my information from the radio since I listen to it often. I occasionally watch the news, if my parents have it on in the morning or at night, but I almost never read the newspaper, so I mostly get my information from my parents, grandparents, or other adults.

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Kerstin E
9/25/2013 03:52:39 pm

I agree. People will believe anything they hear especially when it comes to the news. If they didn't, there wouldn't be a purpose for media. I also agree that it is very easy for media, as well as the government, to manipulate us.

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Mackenzie M
9/25/2013 11:48:34 am

I agree with Peter Jennings that whoever controls the media controls reality. Reality is simply what people believe to be the truth. Most people get all of their information from the media and instantly believe all of it. They accept that everything they are told is true because they have no reason to believe otherwise. Therefore, whoever decides what the media is going to say also decides what the people know and think of as reality. We should still believe the news we read and see on television, though. We just shouldn’t accept it blindly, though, as there is a chance that it may not be true. Because of people’s willingness to believe, media can easily be used to manipulate them. Whoever controls the media can cause people to think anything he wants. For example, when someone writes about something with a bias, it can influence the reader’s own beliefs. Controlling peoples’ beliefs can then lead to manipulation of their actions. I usually get my information from the news or online.

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Colleen I
9/25/2013 01:09:21 pm

I agree that the media does control reality. People in general believe what they hear and associate what is heard on the news and in the media as fact. I think that to some degree people should trust what they hear on the news if, in fact, it has evidence and statistics supporting it. Although our supposed "freedom of speech" is a blessing, it is also a curse. People have opinions, it's what individualizes them, but if all all the people listening to the news are watching biased news channels, and reading biased articles, no one really knows what is truth and what is exaggerated. News can absolutely be used to manipulate us. If all that is being broadcasted and written is the same opinion with the same facts, that is all we know. If we aren't aware of other opinions and aren't aware of actual facts, then it is thought that what is seen as truth. That being said, if that one repetitive opinion is being known, then that opinion is inflicted upon we the people, therefore brainwashing is occurring. I primarily get my news from family and friends along with websites and the tv.

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Mrs. Elbakry
9/25/2013 01:29:27 pm

Interesting observation about freedom of speech, Colleen.

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Kevin K.
9/25/2013 03:33:49 pm

The media is bias yet supported by a body of sought out truths and statistics supporting what is marketable and intriguing to an audience. Articles, news channels and other media sources are profiting financial bodies that grow with good ratings. The information presented is bias to what the audience will find most interesting. If it is not first-hand “action”, then you are not getting an accurate description. In a professional baseball game where the Boston Red Socks are playing the Yankees and David Ortiz strikes out, one reporter may produce a statement informing the public that “David Ortiz brings game winning false confidence in Yankee pitcher” while another may say “David Ortiz brings the Red Sox to the brink of losing”. Both are depictions of the same event, but both adjust how the public envisions that picture drastically.

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Sarah W
9/25/2013 01:31:03 pm

Peter Jennings was right in saying that "Whoever controls the media controls reality". People base everything they know off of what they hear. So, whatever the media says, the people are going to believe it because no one else is giving them any other information. When seeing the news and media, we have to believe if it's the only source we're getting. Without it, we would have no knowledge of the outside world. There are things out there today that we don't know if they're true or not, and we may never know what actually happened. We are forced to believe the news we read and the TV we watch because everyone is talking about it. If we first don’t believe, we are likely to conform. It can manipulate us because whatever they tell us we will adhere to. It is almost as if we have formed some type of trust towards news and media. Most of the news I hear is streamed off of the Internet or heard on local news. I only believe the most popular sites because they are the most reliable.

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Meaghan O
9/26/2013 08:32:50 am

I agree with Sarah that we believe what we hear. She always brought up a good point that if you don't believe it at first, eventually you will. I think that over time if something is being reported and the majority of people around you believe the same thing, you will believe it too. It's hard for people to be different and believe what they want when so many people believe the opposite.

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Sara Ponce
9/26/2013 12:02:55 pm

I agree with Sarah that we are forced to believe what the media says because everyone is talking about it. Sometimes we just believe what others say simply because everyone is does too and we don't want to be the ones to question it even if it doesn't make sense. Some people think that if no one has questioned it then it must be the truth. Like Sarah said, people have built a trust for the media and therefore everything they say is true and so are their "facts" therefore nobody questions it.

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Josh T
9/25/2013 01:52:13 pm

I agree with Peter Jennings to an extent. Definitely in extreme cases such as North Korea the citizens are virtually prisoners in their own country, but because of the media they see, they don't know what is going on in other parts of the world. If there are stories about other countries, in particular the United States, they only hear the exaggerated stories of the bad things that they supposedly cause. In most cases though there is manipulation, but people are able to find out what is really happening in other ways. You can definitely use the information given by the media, but it is probably a good idea to get a second source to reinforce what is true. Certain topics in media can be used to manipulate people. If there is an article about an attack on someone it is easier to get a following of people by using it as a rally call to get them to share the same belief. Media can be used to make someone's opinion towards something different by altering the truth. If I ever watch or read about something in the news I like to back it up with a second source usually from a different part of the world such as BBC World News.

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Adam Lindemann
9/25/2013 02:16:57 pm

Peter Jennings is partially right with his statement. However, to make it more accurate I would change it to, “Whoever controls the media controls [our perspective of] reality.” Media in this day in age can move mountains. They can manipulate facts and feed them to a news hungry people, who go away content. In all reality, the events in the Middle East have no direct impact on the Citizens of the United States except for oil. All the other details on the happenings there could be changed and it wouldn't make the slightest difference to the American people. The media can’t change the mindset of the people that protest or why people bomb market places. Though they can change the way we perceive them. They can decide the reason we think they are protesting or bombing, but they cannot change the true reason. So with that, they cannot change reality as Jennings said, but they can change the way we perceive it.

Now wither or not people should believe the news that is read or seen on television is really a Catch 22. If people do not pay any attention to the news or disregard it all, making them as lies, they have no idea of the world around them. However, if people listen and accept all the news as fact, when it is all lies, then they have no idea of the world around them. There is no good choice. The wisest decision is to watch the news with skepticism, checking all information with multiple sources. This way you can at least be most properly informed you can.

The News can definitely be used to manipulate the people. It all does not have to be lies either. They can tell the people “just the information they need to know.” This means that all of the information they tell is factual, the people just does not know the whole story. This is probably the most common form of manipulation due to the fact that the media cannot called liars.

My primary source of news is what I believe is the most bipartisan large news network available (even though it leans liberal): CNN. Although before I consider anything as fact, I usually do a Google search on the topic. I look at many different news sources about the topic. This way, if they all are saying the same thing, at least I am reading a consistent lie.

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Dilsara L
9/25/2013 02:40:11 pm

I do agree with Peter Jennings statement of, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." Most people nowadays have a tendency to believe whatever the media says simply because they are too naive to understand whats actually going on. But if you think about it, we should be quick to believe what the news is telling us because they should be telling us the truth from the beginning. If a statement made by politician or a newscaster seems convincing, our brains like to believe it. When in reality they could be lying to us. I'm not saying that people shouldn't trust what the media is saying...I'm saying that they should question the information that they're getting. I think that the news media could definitely be used to manipulate us. If the government wants its citizens to feel a certain way about something or someone that they don't like, all they have to do is put out the information that they want us to purposely see on the news and in newspapers. Sooner or later, we will start to feel the same way. Since the government has the power to control what we watch, read and hear, they will take that to their full advantage and use it to manipulate us. I usually get news from watching BBC news since that's where my dad gets it and it is very reliable. I rarely read the newspaper or magazines to get news. If someone tells me some interesting news, I usually search for it through Google and use trustworthy websites.

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Brianna G
9/25/2013 02:50:20 pm

I do agree with Peter Jennings statement that "Whoever controls the media controls reality." The media has all their information given to them by some "higher up" person, this "higher up" being possible a government official. Most stories that are on the news in today's world are probably true but even stories on the news can be manipulated into what the person wants society to think and society would never know if it was a lie or not. These stories control what they want "reality" or society to believe. Information in today's world is at the touch of a button, with one click a person can find information easily and no one would ever suggest that the information is false because we put trust in our government to tell the "truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." The United States could sound wonderful in these news stories but in reality we could actually be the bad guys in the situation, just like in the book 1984. In the book London is basically described as a dystopia and that now Oceania is a utopia, but it is really the other way around and no one would believe that because Big Brother has manipulated their news to make Oceania seem like a wonderful place. We should believe the news that is shown on television, online, and newspapers to some extent. Most stories are the truth but could have some twist in the story, therefore misleading the reader. That the information written or being talked about is in fact true just not with all the details the "higher up" person would like to share. I certainly believe that the news media can be used to manipulate us. The news can manipulate any story they want since they are the first people usually to tell the country about what has just happened. These stories will be believed in a heartbeat by the citizens because news media is their only source of information for the United States and around the world. I get my news by either watching tv or online websites such as CNN.

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Kevin L
9/25/2013 02:53:17 pm

Yes, I do agree with Peter Jennings that 'Whoever controls the media controls reality". In today's society, the mainstream media is owned directly by large multinational corporations, and through their boards of directors are connected a plethora of other major global corporations and popular interests. For example, The New York Times and many other papers have a board of advisers who in the past or presently affiliated with a variety of powerful companies. This ultimately means that our main source of news could influence us in ways that see fit for those companies involved. As it is well known, the government has a strong grip as to what the public has access to through media. So that leads you to think what are some of the things they aren't authorizing the public to see? Although, in the United States I don't believe this occurs as much as in other countries such as North Korea. They are basically cut off from most to all outside news and is only focused on what the government allows them to know. In the United States today, i do believe the news could be a form of manipulation because they could present their news in a fashion that is totally biased, for the sole purpose of trying to make the citizens take their side and believe one side of the story, even if it is fabricated.

Most of the time i am not able to sit down and read the news paper or watch the evening news but when i go onto my laptop, on my way to my email i stop to read some headlines and articles off of yahoo.com.

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Kevin K.
9/25/2013 02:59:44 pm

As a news anchor, Peter Jennings is the most informed individual in this situation. The media uses it’s power in people’s lives to manipulatively control what people see. If the media judges an event as insignificant, they will disregard it and it will not be featured in the news. For example, the mall shooting in Nairobi attracted worldwide attention and created international empathy. However, the years of bloodshed in the Congo and Sudan is ignored and does not affect anyone because it is not on the Yahoo news, News Channel 8, or any other broadcasting news sources.
People continue living in ignorant bliss and are uninformed and thus unaware that events happen on a normal basis not featured in the news. The news manipulates an individual into believing an opinion forced strategically by a news anchorman. The power to explore the world around and stay informed is within an individual’s own power. It should not be the news anchorman telling an individual exactly what is important, what to watch out for, important tips on how to live life, or advice they feel is pertinent.
Being captivated from freedom is not an option on how to live life. If the government wanted to force a belief on the people through propaganda, the easiest way would be to use national news broadcasting. In a moments notice, propaganda can be instantaneously transmitted across the United States persuading and uniting all citizens to think a certain way and within reasonable belief the citizens would have no reason to think anything contrary. If a rumor is spread at school and there is no contradicting or mixed story about it, then it will stand as truth.
I receive my news from the events and occurrences around me. If I look at the clouds, I can normally tell when there will be precipitation. I pride myself in being independent and free of unnecessary influence.

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Kerstin E
9/25/2013 03:46:14 pm

I agree with the statement, “Whoever controls the media controls reality.” Whether or not the media is true, the people will still believe it if it is coming from someone that they think knows what they are doing. For example, during elections, the person that wants to become president may say that he will change something. Just because he says it and it is spread through the media does not actually mean he will follow through with it. Some news is spread from person to person. This information is less reliable because it can easily be changed through communication. Most media that we see on the news is true but some may not be completely accurate. The media can be used to manipulate us. People are very gullible when it comes to media. If the news says something, people think that it must be true. Personally, I get my news on television and the internet.

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Sara Ponce
9/26/2013 11:59:04 am

I agree with Kerstin that when news is spread from person to person it becomes unreliable due to the possibility of miscommunication which often happens and changes the story. People add their bias opinions and say what they want others to know, and leave out what they want. It becomes a chain of stories that it then becomes difficult to trace back to what really happened. Sometimes people change the story so much that they start to believe in what they want to believe in, what they want the story to say, rather than what the story actually is.

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Marcus E
9/26/2013 03:52:43 am

I do believe that whoever controls the media controls reality. The ones who put the media out there are exposing the people to whatever they choose to expose them to. They can choose to make it as biased as they want as well so they are controlling what you hear like they would a puppet. I dont think that people should believe everything that we see on television, but in the past we have been susceptible to doing so. The news obviously can be used to manipulate people because the writers that create these news articles and the ones are talking on television about certain topics can imply their biased opinions by the tone that they use or just the choice of words. Even if they are not successful in influencing them to their side they get them thinking about it much like a lawyer does in court when trying to persuade the jury. I get my news mainly from television and social media. I don't read the newspaper primarily, but I believe that it could be the most biased out of all of the news providers.

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Tommy B
9/26/2013 11:22:12 am

I like your point about how the people controlling the media are always biased and show that in their articles and on television. The comment about us being like a "puppet" also stood out to me. I never thought of the people watching or reading the news to be like "puppets" but it is a perfect analogy. People see or hear something and immediately believe it

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Brianna Germond
9/26/2013 04:13:09 am

I do agree with Peter Jennings words, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." I believe that this statement is true more in modern days than back a couple years. I think this is a very futuristic statement because as media becomes more and more prominent, its the only thing that citizens look towards for their news. As we begin to rely more and more on the media to give us our national and international news, the government is more capable of making us believe what they want us to believe. What we trust to be the truth is really controlled by the government, should we believe it or should we question it? We don't know if the government has a reason to lie to us about what is happening in the country and in other parts of the world. The media is able to try and manipulate our thinking to a bias of a certain group but I don't think most people fall for that anyways so does that mean the government wouldn't be able fool us if they tried? I feel that because our country has a very high amount of people traveling internationally all the time, we know whats going on in other parts of the world and if the government was trying to lie to us, they wouldn't let us out of the country so freely. I don't watch the news or pay attention it as much but if I were to, I think i would rely on the newspaper because it it one of the oldest forms of getting information out.

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Michael D
9/26/2013 06:16:39 am

When Peter Jennings stated that "Whoever controls the media, controls reality" he was correct. The media delivers all of the news to the general public, but it also controls what it delivers. The media is our prime source of news and most of the public will trust what they say. However, I do not believe we should trust everything that we hear in the media. Although sometimes we have no choice, I would suggest that our society investigates further into news they hear rather than just take whatever is said to be the truth. The media can easily be used to manipulate us and has been in the past and present. The media can present the public with certain news to shape the thought of the public. If the media wants society to support something, they will talk about how amazing it is, and vice versa if they want the public to dislike something. The way I receive my news is through the Today show and CNN. Sometimes I also get news from the internet.

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Lizz Lizotte
9/26/2013 12:27:38 pm

I agree with Mike that people should investigate what they hear on the the news. This can be a very effective practice in preventing manipulation by the media.

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Megan C
9/26/2013 07:40:49 am

“Whoever controls the media controls reality” is partially true and partially false. It all boils down to the people who are being fed this news. The ones who make the news do have the upper hand on the people receiving the news because they are able to form the ideas and believes into the recipient’s heads. But on occasion, some may be able to weed out the truth. Even though the government controls what we know and what we are told, we still have the ability to question the government and use our minds to try to control our own reality. As media controls reality the reality of ones life does not have to rely on just what they are told. Unfortunately, the government and other companies has control over the many news sources and the almost everything that is on TV or in a movie I believe is manipulated to favor the companies that pay. Knowing that most of the information that is fed is false does not make me believe what is being told to me. I would much rather listen to multiple sources rather than just one. By having different points of view and different pieces that are being told it helps put together what may be the truth. Listening to news outside of the US and what is just played on the news stations here makes me feel more confident receiving my news. Knowing other points of view of non bias people looking in onto the views that other have on what is going on in America is how I prefer to have knowledge about the news. By having only few control reality allows the change for part of the truth to at least partially come though.

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Meaghan O
9/26/2013 08:28:16 am

I agree with Peter Jennings. I think most people trust whatever they hear from the news. They assume that if they say it on a news channel than it must be true. A lot of times the news is wrong. They are so eager to be the first to report something that they just announce whatever rumor they hear. For example, the day of the sandy hook shooting, there were so many different news reports. Everything they showed on the news whether it was how many people died, how many shooters there were, or who the shooters were, almost all of the reports announced that day changed within a couple hours. I think the government can definitely manipulate us through the media. It seems that they do this to make us believe that the problems we as a country are involved in are better than they actual are. My brother is in Afghanistan and he always tells me about different bombings over there, however, I almost never hear about any of them on the news. I usually get my news from my parents or social media.

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Sedyra Nieves
9/26/2013 03:30:49 pm

I do agree with Meaghan. I think that many news reporters don't care about the accuracy of the news. I think a lot of the time they are more concerned with making their stories more interesting just to obtain more views than other news casts. I also think Sandy Hook was a good example of this. Many people are now starting to question media because of this because the amount of times the story was changed was ridiculous. Majority of the first reported information was wrong but it was first and that's all the news crew reporters cared about.

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Tommy B
9/26/2013 11:18:05 am

When Peter Jennings says, "Whoever controls the media controls reality" he is stating what many people fail to understand. Almost everyone in the United States and throughout the world watch, read, or listen to the news everyday. I get my news from my parents who watch it on TV then I will tell something I heard to someone else. They may then hear something on the radio and bring it up in class. A classmate may tell it to their family and the chain goes on forever. Throughout the day news gets passed around with no end. It all starts with whoever is controlling it, though. If the person in charge of the media lies about something, no one will ever know unless they confess because the people listening have to believe it. People cannot go around assuming that certain things are lies. For example, there are people who thought events like the Boston Marathon Bombing or Sandy Hook incident were not real and were just lies told by the government controlling the media. These are the people that live life assuming things are not always true. In the same respect, though, the news can very easily be fiction. The people controlling the news can say something to make their audience believe it and the audience will certainly do so. The news has so many benefits to society and without it we may be back to the caveman-days; but when controlled by the wrong people, it can be a terrible weapon that can change people in a second.

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Clara M
9/26/2013 12:07:25 pm

I agree that the media can be a terrible thing if it is controlled by the wrong people. But like you say about the news being passed on through people, it could always get twisted along the way. Not only does the media twist words around but people sharing it can be biased and the information can be swayed by people not controlling the media. The news can essentially be changed by anyone.

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Steven P
9/26/2013 01:59:29 pm

I agree with your point that nobody can tell whether the news they hear or see is the truth or just something that the media made up. The media, or the government controlling the media, can make the people believe whatever they are saying because there is no other source to find out if this is the truth.

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Clara M
9/26/2013 11:56:00 am

I do not completely agree with Jennings' statement. I think that people should be able to grow apart from the media. But at the same time I also think that at a certain age we all need some direction. In our middle school years we all look up to something or someone and the media plays a big role with that, which isn't necessarily a good thing. As far as news and other things go, they shape how we think of events. They can always be biased enough to make our opinions for us. In some cases we don't even have an opportunity to have a say in the way we are supposed to think, we are expected to think one way and any other is taboo. So essentially the news can get us on their side through biased articles because most people won't second guess the norm we are given.

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Sara Ponce
9/26/2013 11:56:06 am

“Whoever controls the media controls reality” is sadly true. If something happens that you did not witness, you rely on the news, radio, online, or newspapers to find out the "truth". However, it is the editor, who controls what you believe. The editor can take away details or have a bias opinion on the event, which can make the past event completely different. By choosing what to air, the media basically decides what is important and what is "unimportant" for it's citizens to believe. Everyone wants to be the first to know something and pass it on, sometimes changing the story, depending on their view and basis opinion on it. People are so quick to believe everything they hear from the media because the media has a way of twisting words or keeping things out and with so many "facts" people find it easier to believe it rather than question it and try to find out the truth themselves. The media does in fact have it's way of manipulating people. The media covers all the bad news and very little of the good news. The media does this because it is easier to engage people in "so and so killed a whole family" rather than, "so and so just donated $$$ to charity".This makes people believe the world is a bad, unsafe place. The media especially manipulates us when it covers news about rebellions or killing in other countries, which makes us believe our country is a safer place. But how do we know the government isn't telling the media what to cover, or hiding things from the media? I think it's important to not trust everything you hear so easily without various sources of credibility. This goes for me, typically I get my news from twitter. But a silly website with hashtags should not be informing me on "what is happening".

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Kaleigh B
9/26/2013 12:07:42 pm

Our news media has become a source of information. Peter Jennings quoted, "Whoever controls the media controls reality." But who specifically controls the media? Is it reality and how life just happens, or is it the reporter who writes and produces the news, or maybe its society itself and how he or she comprehend it. From what has been said before, news comes from different sources such as, NBC, Channel 8, Fox, etc. With that, each reporter has their own individual opinion about the topic, they are potentially producing, and this however could affect how he or she broadcasts the topic. Personally I believe that a reporter is professional enough to separate their own opinion of the topic he or she is writing for, but depending on the delivery, it could leverage an influence of the general public. I do not believe that the government has any control of our news. Here in America, freedom of speech is fully taken advantage of. News topics, like government, have been criticized before. The View, is hosted by five strongly opinionated women who not only express on television their opinions about the government, but fight on live TV of what they think is, “right,” or not “right” about our government. I wouldn’t say that news and reporters have a major influence or control over reality; I think that reality has control over the media. Reality, or life, happens everyday. The media is our own people reporting the subject of reality, and the society, or public, has the opportunity to give an opinion of it. News relies on reality to happen in order to gain an opinion.
I depend on NBC to give me the chance to express my opinion on reality. I’m only biased to not exploring other news stations because of my mother working for NBC. I do know that it could affect my opinion for only choosing one source of information, but I am also open to hear anyone else’s opinion on the subject.

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Lizz Lizotte
9/26/2013 12:11:53 pm

I disagree with Peter Jennings. While control of the media endows massive power upon the beholder, the news does not equate to reality. The news is, in its simplest form, a report of reality. The power held by controlling the media comes from herd-like human behavior. People have a tendency to be gullible and easily manipulated with an unbearable desire to follow. Media is often dishonest or at least biased. People who blindly watch like sheep often pull the wool over their own eyes, not allowing themselves to see the exaggerations or one-sided stories. Media takes real news and tweaks it here and there to support the beliefs of the people in control. This can convince people that a specific side of an argument is right based on false evidence. It is possible, however, to recognize the bare truth in a story by paying close attention and pushing away any biased infliction. I get my news from the people around me. That includes friends, classmates, parents, and teachers. While this seems unreliable, I get to hear one story told by many people, allowing me to pull out the consistencies as truth and the inconsistencies as individual interpretation.

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Steven P
9/26/2013 01:56:28 pm

I do believe with what Peter Jennings once said "Whoever controls the media controls reality." Most people depend on the news anytime whether it is on the radio,tv, magazines or even tabloids. The medias purpose is to send forward a message to large numbers of people. The problem with what information they send out isn't always the truth and yet we choose to believe it. None of us technically know what truly goes on unless you were there when it happened. Once the news is out it spreads like wildfire from ear to ear. This can only lead the news media to manipulate us citizens by making us believe what we hear. Elders always told children to never believe what they hear, but why do we believe the media then? It is the same exact concept no matter what circumstance. I get my news from the tv or if I happen to hear something on the radio.

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Sedyra Nieves
9/26/2013 03:25:55 pm

I do agree that the media controls reality. The media is what feeds the citizens their news and informs them of what is happening in the world. They are the main source since not everyone can be there at historical events. Because of this, it is very easy for the media to twist around the truth and change up what actually happened because the citizens weren’t there to witness it for themselves. I don’t think that we should believe everything on the news. I agree with the saying ‘believe none of what you hear and half of what you see’. This is because unless you are in the situation there is no way that you can know exactly what is going on. There are also multiple sides to every story. The person writing or broadcasting the news might lean toward one side of the story and change the people’s opinion on the matter. Also the media can use the media to manipulate us. They can make it so that some people look bad in the eyes of citizens. Media has the responsibility to keep the people informed and with this comes a lot of power on the people’s minds. I find out a lot of things that I know off of twitter. Many people post views in their tweets and this is how I find out about a lot of different things happening in the world.

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    English 12 H

    Please respond to the question in at least 10 sentences AND comment on another classmate's response. You can certainly disagree, but BE RESPECTFUL of the opinions/feelings of your classmates.

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