Media Directing Society in the Wrong Direction? 

Media and society feed each other, however it is the responsibility of media and journalists in particular to direct the public’s attention towards certain issues. Media acts like the neck that turns the head to guide where it should focus; it does not mean the head or the public will consider all of those topics top priority, but at least the public will be aware of crucial issues. Perhaps that media attention will make the public contemplate the story whether it is gun control or the devastating effects of hurricane Sandy. Yet, there are times when the media chooses to focus on peripheral things. For example, right now the coverage on the Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o. The football player’s hoax girlfriend has taken the attention of the nation over more pressing matters. The media has been probing into the subject trying to find truth. Manti Te’o’s fake girlfriend and whether he was making it up or deceived by somebody. The story has become ambiguous full of gossip rather than facts. Regardless of his love life Manti Te’o will probably end up in the NFL and the truth will only reveal the football player’s character, nothing more. People who date virtually are often not who they seem, this is not shocking news that should have captured the nation’s attention over more pressing issues. It is the media’s job though to not give stories such as this one the attention.