This paper discusses the basic theme of Jerry Mander’s book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, that whoever controls the media, controls the public.
This author states that the media, however good intentioned, is not always as responsible as it could be. The paper states that the public is easily persuaded and that the media has desensitized the public. The author believes that the problem with the media is that is more than a means of communication; it is a business that gets its revenues from advertising and needs to turn a profit.
Advertisers are only going to advertise through the media if people see it. The media has to have something the people want. Think of the media let’s use a newspaper — as a clothing store for a moment. If the window display in the store shows clothes that are not your style or your size, you are not going to enter the store. The paper is the same way. If nothing on the front page grabs your attention, you are less likely to pick up the paper. If you do not pick up the paper and look inside, you will never see those ads.