Terror and Sex

I decided to research some of the more contemporary aspects of the media.  The article on the Clinton Scandal was particularly interesting because it serves as a marker for the change between factual reporting and "vamp" reporting.  This exploitation has evolved into many different types of media: tabloids, shout shows, talk radio, etc.  Here is my annotated bib for the source on Clinton:

Hachten, William A. “ The Clinton Scandal and Mixed Media.” The Troubles of Journalism: A Critical Look at What’s Right and Wrong with the Press. 3^rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. 113-121. Print.

            

            Hachten observes the embarrassment of media journalism in the Clinton Scandal and beyond.  Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky in 1998 brings out the worst in media journalism.  The “mixed media”, or the incorporation of new trends and technologies in reporting, has “altered the news media”.  The 24-hour cable news, opinion-based arguments, and “slinking standards” of sources support allegations “rather than dig out the truth”.  The sources hold power over the media.  The power in mixed media shifts from factual news to opinion-based talk TV on such networks as MSNBC and Fox News.  The journalism rule, that every source must be verified by two separate sources before being published, has been replaced by propaganda and the desire for “blockbuster stories”, such as the Clinton Scandal.  The media “shout shows” spew propaganda and political opinion that confuses the public, leading to disdain for the news media.  Public opinion can be mended with the incorporation of stern policies that research the validity of each source.  The doubt that exists in public opinion for the future of media journalism is based on the anticipation of the next big story.  A return to traditional journalism can, hopefully, mend the media’s relationship with factual reporting, and place them in good favor with the public view.