Mainstream and Alternative Media

In looking to the differences between mainstream media and alternative media, I found that I was far more attracted to the alternative media. They tend to push the envelope more. Instead of worrying about their sponsors there can be more of an opportunity to say exactly what is on their minds, instead of simply reporting perhaps only one carefully constructed side of the news.

The article “Dwarfing the Tsunami”, by David Edwards, I found was very explicit. He not only touched on the disastrous effects of the December 26 tsunami, but then continued to contrast it with the over-indulgence of people during the Christmas season. Instead of people celebrating Christmas, they are consumed with the insatiable need to spend, as they greedily claw their way through shopping stores. On the other side of the coin, December 26 dawned bringing absolute destruction to many people’s lives. Also, Edwards did an excellent job of analyzing the facts and peering deeper into the issue at hand and its effects on people.

At the end of Edwards’ article he also states that “The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. In writing letters to journalists, we strongly urge readers to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.” This told me that to a certain extent, the member s of Media Lens are passionate about the truthful and direct media coverage, which I found slightly reassuring in a time of news framing.

Comparatively, the mainstream media only reported on the factual information of the tsunami. They did not critically evaluate the information given them. It was simply cold, hard facts. But the fact of the matter is, people are not facts, they are living, breathing entities that are far more complex than a bunch of statistics.

Therefore, I found that the alternative lens of media was far more intellectually stretching and stimulating, in comparison to the factually based mainstream media.

Alternative: “Dwarfing the Tsunami - A Warning”
By David Edwards
Media Lens
http://www.zmag.org/altmediawatch.htm

Mainstream: “Dec. 26 Tsunami Swept Away Thousands”
By Michael Stittle
CTV news
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051220/tsunami_feature_one_051220/20051220/