National Press Corps Director: Sam Zeidman - Institute for Domestic ...

R u t g e r s Mo d e l C o n g r e s s 5
newspapers for cheap prices, and the countless independent websites, gave way to the
Fragmented Media Era (1990 - present). 11 This phase of the process led to the creation of
a support system in which any school of thought can easily be accessed by the reader.
Not only can news be targeted to specific ideologies, but consumers of news can read the
news sources that they feel most comfortable reviewing. For the first time, individuals
could read any news source worldwide, instead of being limited to their local or state
newspaper. The Fragmented Media Era has also led to the obsession of focusing on
individual events that occur in everyday life to a seemingly unhealthy level. Instead of
reading about a story and understanding it in the context of the rest of the events of the
day or year, people have begun to seemingly obsess over the impact of a singular event,
like a high-profile kidnapping, murder, or court case. It is estimated that before this
phase is over, the downfall of the media fair and meaningful provider of objective
information is inevitable. 12
Although there is a growing distrust among the mass audience and declining
public opinion with respect to the type of coverage news companies such as CNN and
BBC provide. There can be no doubt that the reporting of important events on both the
domestic and international levels has a real influence over government policies. For the
most part, while the media has evolved through the ages, it has never fully left the ideals
that brought it about in the first place. During the period of 1790 until 1840, the media
was used as a tool of the political parties to build and set their agendas to the public. This
concept is no different in today’s society. On both the domestic and international levels,
the media has been used to push political agendas through the process by which the
media establishes priorities in order to shape the public’s opinion. 13 In other words, the
McCombs and Shaw Theory, a popular idea used by experts in the field, suggests that the
media tells its readers and viewers not “what to think” but instead, “what to think about”
by telling the general public what issues are important instead of letting the audience
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 “Media Influence”, , Date Accessed: 7
December 2004