Media Injustice and the Media

There was a point in the not-too-distant past when it was reasonable to perceive the media as a force collectively aimed at informing the public, exposing corruption, surfacing scandal and general performing the responsibility of protecting the people's right to know. However, several forces have permeated the so-called 'fourth estate,' diluting the media's acceptance of this responsibility. At one end of the spectrum, the growth in value of cable news such as CNN or MSNBC has created a highly monetized and commercially-motivated form of news. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the increasing visibility of social media such as Facebook and Twitter in spreading news stories has removed much of the accountability or professionalism from our media outlets.

The result is that our media outlets rarely have the motivation to ensure that a well-informed public is made aware of injustice in all its forms. According to the Daily Graphic (2009), "As the fourth estate of the realm, the media is expected by the public to play their watchdog role well...

For instance, the most prominent cable news networks are collectively the outlet from which most Americans draw their information on current events. However, these are almost explicitly partisan in nature, with Fox News unabashedly endorsing a conservative agenda with little to no interest in disseminating the 'truth.' By contrast, MSNBC's liberal leaning causes it to report with certain exclusions as a way of strengthening the position of its political allies. Unfortunately, this is an almost inescapable reality in today's mutually monetized media and political realms. According to Chiyamwaka (2008), "all governments since independence, corporate organisations, influential and powerful politicians and individuals have sought ways and means to control and regulate the media not only by wanting to limit its…