Reaction to Chapter 6- Chomsky, the Empire, and Media Literacy

It is scary to think about the influence the media has over feelings toward the government. The media can switch around any story and display it in any way they want. The public's opinion is solely based on the news and therefore they will believe almost anything they watch. Especially after 9-11, they played out the war on terror, as if it was a movie. Depicting us, American's, as the good guys who had to go after all terrorists and potential threats. The media was completely behind Bush and therefore so were most Americans. Once the war started to go down hill and it was evident that we were losing, the media, along with the American public, changed their views on Bush. I can't necessarily criticize the media because I have to admit that I am one of the American's who strongly disagreed with Bush's actions in the last couple years. However, when I sit back and think about the media's role in both my opinion and almost all American's it is astounding. I completely agree with the statement by Chomsky, "the fact that we killed and are killing huge numbers of people in Vietnam and Iraq for economic and geopolitical gain is not the issue in the public conversation in the United States. The fact that we did not/are not winning the war is the matter that concerns the media and most Americans." The truth behind that quote and the impact of the media is extremely frightening. However the war is played out in the media, is the war that we are going to believe and be concerned with.

This all relates to media literacy because it is our youth that can change this problem. They can think for themselves and learn the advantages and disadvantages to the news and other media outlets. I think that watching the news is really important for all children to do but at the same time they need to be informed about the impact it can have on opinions. As the media and access to news stories grow, this concern needs to be addressed.