George Floyd
The media as the Fourth Estate is charged with the responsibility of conveying information to the masses. In the twenty-first century, alone many independent news outlets have sprung up consequently creating a competition among themselves. The competition stems from the desire of each outlet to gain credibility in the hands of the public. Each outlet has mastered the art of creating different approaches in telling the same story. This has always been with the main objective of creating different effects, such as to spark emotions amongst their diverse audiences. This paper will analyze the effects of two reputable media houses create on their audiences while airing the same story.
CNN: Minneapolis police Chief comment on George Floyd.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/24/us/minneapolis-police-chief-comment-george-floyd-trnd/index.html
As the headline goes, CNN is very critical of the role the Police as an institution charged with the mandate of protecting citizens and at the same time maintaining law and order in the country. One of the most important aspects of this news piece is to try and shape the public opinion court. The recent murder of George Floyd in the hands of a law enforcer has left the public worried about the role of the police. The police force has been painted negatively with a larger chunk of citizens having the thought that every police officer might be unscrupulous, racist, and hot-headed especially when handling Americans of color. CNN has thoroughly worked on this headline to give the police the chance to exonerate themselves by posting the sentiments of the Police Chief. This is to reduce the vulnerability of the police to public opinion, perhaps to opine that the police should not be judged wholesome on the misgiving of a single individual, who does not represent the values of the whole establishment.
CNN, just like any other journalistic source is advised by professional teams who are cognizant of exactly what the audience wants and what to deliver to create the desired effect on their readers. Cultivation as one of the effects CNN has managed to instill on its audiences posits that the repetitive reimbursement of related stories but with different angles to the same story. An audit on media stories opines that each media house creates cultivation on the audience to make the story alive in the minds and hearts of their audiences. The story on George Floyd is a perfect example of how CNN has extensively employed this effect by highlighting a different perspective on the story away from other media houses.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html
New York Times: George Floyd investigation
The New York Times instills a different angle on the story to include the necessary material that their audience might desire. Telling a story is not enough in this modern era of information convergence. The media has understood that the traditional journalism methods of storytelling are not enough to satisfy the avaricious appetite their audiences have for information. The quest to create a lasting impression and draw emotions on the audience is a tool that the New York times have made use of in its article. Media Houses also acknowledge how diverse the individual news consumer exists. Currently, news posts are read by the intelligent, educated, non-educated, and other demographics that news outlets aim to satisfy. Conclusively, the responsibility to keep these audiences satisfied calls for the media outlets to create the nexus between their audiences and critically maintain the legitimacy of their tabloids.
This article by the New York times, as evident in their article is aware of the costs involved when one gets too much criticism by their audience. Borrowing from Robert Greens’ book, the 48 laws of power, reputation is very key and should be guarded with life. The New York Times edits posts such as this article on George Floyd to make them popular amongst their audience. They appear balanced and therefore share the traditional consumer thought of the media. As a balanced institution that is not a tool of the state or powerful individuals, New York times has steered away from any misdemeanors which would make them mistaken for a Kangaroo court.
The New York Times and CNN are both reputable media houses that compete for a shared market in the News business. Each outlet has designed a bespoke style in news editing and delivery that audiences can attribute to. The choice of language and the tone in the articles preempts the desire of creating effects on their clients. Conflicting headlines also portray the audience’s desire to consume a unique piece of news. Headlines on the same story will always be different to make each media House unique in its way. However, modern media theorists have tried to prove that the media is now affected by the audience. They clearly state that since the media generates income from their audiences much of the effects would shift on the media, a phenomenon that is hard to challenge. Most Traditional theorists and reformists agree that the media is a popular tool in American existence.