Today with the numerous forms of communication, it seems that the focus of the media has shifted from educating and informing to stealing the competition. Stories are chosen for their entertainment and packaging abilities and not because their meaning is important. In addition to this, Big Media has become a tool for disseminating propaganda instead of communicating differing opinions and ideas. Freedom of speech? More like the freedom to mass market.

In the age of the Internet and television and better forms of communication, the media grows continually. Reporters can compare notes with other reporters on the other side of the globe in seconds. Millions upon millions of people can turn on their televisions and see the latest news or rent the new Blockbuster flick. Communication started with smoke signals and cave paintings, but it has advanced to electronic pulses traveling over pieces of plastic and copper wire. With this technology, the possibilities to convey a message are endless.

These messages are rocketed into the perception of the average American citizen through mass marketing and entertainment value. Movies such as We Were Soldiers and Black Hawk Down stimulate and perpetuate the drive for war. Rappers hip hop their way across national airwaves to convey messages of “sippin’ on gin and juice.” The news coverage focuses on violence and crime for these are the stories that get the big ratings. The homes of rock stars and the life stories of rich and glamorous and somewhat drug-weary people are televised as examples of the “American dream.”

Media takes these forms in our culture. It is everything from NPR to MTV, and the same rules apply. It is unwise to say that because the music and entertainment industry are not the same as the news media, the same rules do not apply. They are equal contributors to public perception and therefore need to be considered under the same microscope.

As the reach of the global media in all its forms has grown, so have the complaints. With the recent sniper shootings, many people have rallied (again) against video games: “It’s their fault! This is happening because of the rap music and the promiscuous sex on TV.” Politicians and conservatives rally for more control but are stopped by our country’s first amendment right to freedom of speech. That does not mean that organizations such as the FCC do not find ways to twist our constitution to fit their censorship.

When it seems as if Big Media needs to be restricted, I beg to differ. I mentioned earlier that the media should abide by certain rules. These rules should not be legislated; the media needs to regulate itself. It is called common sense. The news media especially is guilty of printing stories without consideration to the possible consequences and repercussions of their words. Figureheads in media need to be asking themselves at all times how appropriate their stories are. This also means telling the stories that need to be reported. Do we really need to know exactly how the sniper shot his victims or where our president committed his acts of infidelity? Is it not important to know that Green Party members are banned from flying on national airlines as they are on the “Terrorist List?” Funny how the Associated Press seems to avoid that topic.

Freedom of speech has been assigned a dollar amount. How much a story can sell seems to be more important to Big Media. Freedom of speech is an important aspect of our culture, and I would not forsake it, but with that freedom comes responsibility. The conglomerates deciding what airs on our televisions and what is read in our papers need to consider what that freedom means.

The government should not have to step in and regulate communication. Do people have the ability to turn the station? Yes. But should they have to? I do not think so.