Role of Media in National Secu essays

Role of Media in National Secu essays The media serves a complicated role in national security. It can serve as a national comforter in times of war, assassination, and tragedy. In the case of September 11th horrors, a critic should stress the exhausting, often excellent work of individual reporters and news organizations. But most of us can agree that the media has some fundamental flaws and continuing problems with modern journalism were on display in the coverage of the tragedy and its aftermath. The biggest problem the public had with media, in regard to the war in Iraq, was the repeated printing and airing of potentially dangerous information that could conceivably be used by terrorist to plan further attacks. There is a fine line in this situation. News organizations have a responsibility to point out holes in protective cover in government plans, but it is difficult to justify some of what made I on the air and into print. A report by David Shaw from the Los Angeles Times made The Washington Post out to be one of the worst offenders when it published a map of Washington just five days after 9-11 that showed the correct path and wind direction for terrorist sorties on the nations capital. One of the best examples of the media at its worst was the coverage of the anthrax scare. Anthrax is dangerous, but easily treatable when antibiotics are given, yet the public scare produced by the massive coverage of anthrax was way out of proportion. As vicious as the crime was, the media portrayed anthrax was out of proportion to the actual threat faced by American. At the time, the public wanted and needed to know more about the truly serious terrorist threats at home and abroad. The anthrax scare and its follow-ups were not just unclear or just produce more central questions about terrorism, it also took away a lot of time that many other major stories could not be told to the degree they deserved on television. Many pieces of legislation passed or rejec ...