The vast majority of major news media outlets are controlled by giant media conglomerates, all of which have significant holdings in the entertainment industry. Consider the major 24 hour news networks: CNN is controlled by Time Warner, which also owns Warner Entertainment, HBO and Turner Broadcasting; Fox News is controlled by Murdoch's News Corp, which also controls Fox Broadcasting Company and MySpace; and, finally, MSNBC is controlled by Microsoft, which also has controlling interests in NBC and Universal Pictures. As a result, there appears to be a blurring of lines between the news and entertainment as there seems to be a trend in major media corporations to seek to increase profits by making the news "entertaining"—engaging to the man on the street or the public at large.
I am the first to endorse the popularization of media so that the news is no longer the exclusive domain of specialists and journalistic professionals but is, rather, accessible to the unskilled, untutored masses. However, access to information is one thing, but entertainment is something entirely different.
The news media are not supposed to be entertainment. The free press is one of the pillars of democracy—one of the key institutions of any democratic society. You do not tune into the 24 hour news networks to view biased and opinionated pundits at each others' throats, editorializing and spinning reality to the point of absurdity (as in CNN's legendary, though now defunct, news show, Crossfire), just as you don't see a doctor for polite conversation. Rather, you tune in for immediate access to a reliable source of factual information, just as you visit a doctor for a scientific, medical analysis of your health and the facts pertaining thereunto.
Without ready access to unbiased sources of factual information, what results is the proliferation of propaganda—biased opinion and half-truths, which are, ultimately, misleading and disastrous in the long run. In my opinion, this absence of reliable, authentic, credible sources of factual information in modern society is the major contributor to widespread chaos. Without unbiased, reliable, credible news media outlets, democracy itself is compromised, ultimately, resulting in the proliferation of biased propaganda organizations posing as news media outlets.
Recent developments in the economy have made it evident that when a corporation becomes a monopolistic fixture or institution, they can potentially hold society hostage to their needs, because they are then "too big to fail." In the case of the oligarchy of the giant media corporations, are they, in effect, any different from, say, Pravda, the notorious propaganda arm of the Soviet Kremlin?
I believe that "new media" news sources hold the potential to balance out the "biased propaganda" often perpetuated by major news outlets. As smaller news organizations focusing on new media gain credibility, gradually achieve institutional status and begin to employ a professional journalistic and editorial staff, they can, potentially, save democracy by becoming sources of credible, unbiased, factual information and news. The challenge that faces new media news sources is to achieve a level of credibility that equals or surpasses that of major news institutions. However, considering how the credibility of these mainstream news organizations has already been compromised, thanks to their own questionable practices, such as an overindulgence in biased punditry and their apparent inability to perform as reliable sources of factual information, this should not be too difficult for new media startups to achieve, assuming that some, at least, place value on integrity, credibility and standards, choosing to follow the high road. Ultimately, one is judged by one's actions, whatever the pundits may say, and if new media startups consistently deliver high quality, reliable and unbiased news, they could well supplant the most firmly entrenched of mainstream news organizations.
Horizon Cybermedia was founded on the basis of a quote by John F. Kennedy:
We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.
Though we are a small startup, we stand firmly behind our mission statement:
To be a positive voice in the media space; to put artistic integrity above mercenary interests; to make a truthful, meaningful artistic statement.
And though we are not a giant news organization but, rather, a tiny media startup focussing on artistic content, we believe in quality, standards and integrity above all else. Do continue to check out our regularly updated media content, including a new film on the Wine Country, recently completed and soon to be released on our website, http://www.explorationtheseries.com. Check back soon for further updates.
Wishing you the very best,
Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.
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