Much of the information Americans learn, if not most, comes from the media. News media and advertisers sell products and ideas to consumers. We asked students on campus if they believe these media really represent us, our interests and lives as individuals and communities.
“I think the news represents us pretty well. I watch Channel 5, and I think they’re more focused on getting facts rather than printing opinions. I think they do a pretty good job at that,” Cayde Roothoff, pre-business management, West Jordan
“I believe it unfortunately represents the desires of the American public but not accurate of the facts that are displayed. For instance, as far as music and things, it gives people what they want, which is kind of bad, usually. But when it comes to facts and news and reporting, usually it’s skewed to a general interest of a biased party,” Chad Taylor, biochemistry, Antioch, California
“I think the media doesn’t really portray women well. I feel like demands for beauty are just unrealistic,” Lyndsey Johnson, family life, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
“I would say definitely yes. More than anything else. It represents what we love, what we do. It fills every side of human nature,” Maggie Thatcher, english teaching, South Jordan
“I feel like media does a pretty good job just by what I see on the BYU homepage. It shows how we’re top in this, top in that. Lately the football team is doing well. So I think it does a good job of showing the academic side as well as sports and other things like that,” Nicole Brown, exercise and wellness, Shelby, Michigan
“Personally I believe the media tries to pull our strings; it gets our attention. They put the stuff that draws the most attention in the newspapers and media. That’s how I’ve always felt,” Sam Arrington, accounting, Dallas, Texas
“I think that there are elements of truth that could be found in the media that reflect us. I think that it does to a certain extent but they have a lot of influence on what we interpret ourselves as. So, to an extent but not completely,” Alex Gunnerson, accounting, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
“I personally don’t. I think it’s really biased and skewed to one side. Only one type of person is represented a lot of times in the media, like middle-class white people. I mean, some media is well representative of different, like a diversity of people, but especially here in Provo I don’t think it’s very diverse,” Kayla Christensen, elementary education, St. George
“I would say that it’s very representative of a group as a whole, in I’d say almost everything. Advertising, everything. Social media, I think, tends to make people look a little more narcissistic than they really are. Maybe a little more self-centered, even though they may not be that way. But it’s very easy to look at someone and see that they’re bragging about their vacation, bragging about all their friends simply because they’re posting a lot of photos or something like that,” J. Adair, special education, Lindon
