WRITER´S JOURNAL

The role of television- 

Responsibility or Infotainment?

LINK FOR "MURROW SPINS IN HIS GRAVE"

 Murrow spins in his grave

„There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. “This statement describes perfectly our present-day television landscape. Surprisingly, it is taken from a speech in 1958 delivered by Edward Murrow. It is prophetic in one way, almost scary and also alarming how it is concerning the present day. It makes us wake up and reflect about our most important source of information and calls ourselves into question.

Murrow spins in his grave. Murrow, the esteemed CBS newsman spoke out against McCarthy, senator of the United States back then, who persecuted communists and terrified citizens with every kind of un-American thinking. Recently, the parallel between now and then is obvious looking at ex-president Bush´s terrorism politic after the 11th September attack. How dangerous can  a democracy be when fear, for example against terrorism, is being misused as a weapon.

Murrow turns over in his grave. Television is becoming the greatest responsible of transforming our society into a mass culture. The knowledge and products created are extremely simple in order to be consumed rapidly. TV programs, song competitions, reality shows and so called documental realities invade nowadays TV landscape. The audience is better informed about celebrities and their daily life problems then about their own ones. The influence of mass media by maintaining the audience badly informed and educated increases ignorance, intolerance and indifference.

Murrow is spinning around in his grave. The struggle against censorship and freedom of press, witch-hunting and libel is present like five decades ago. And as long as some channels can be called news channel instead of propaganda channel and as long as some reporters can spread hate against minorities, the voice of Murrow reminds us of the real function of journalism. When and how must a broadcaster show attitude? And is it actually possible that scruple and modern media go together?

Ed Murrow cannot spin in his grave, he was cremated. But Ed Murrow evokes us in his “wires and lights in a box” speech of the real function of television, responsibilities of broadcasters and spectators in our consumption society. He insists that television should be used as medium to educate and inform the public. Certainly, “…ignorance, intolerance and indifference…” are not far “…from the realities of the world in which we live.”