Right Wing and Obama

It is a known reality, in media studies, that people tend to expose themselves to media that support their own ideologies. One might be forgiven for thinking that this is acceptable and a sign of normalcy but I contend that it is the weakness of most media outlets that the audience is not exposed to opposing views within the one broadcast often enough.

I happen to believe that the media is not here to form our ideas but to let us view/hear all of the opposing ideas. If we are not open to hearing opposing views to our own, then what is the point of viewing or hearing anything? Just to have our own ideals set in concrete? I think we need to be open. But if we are not then the media should challenge us to defend our own ideologies against a balanced rendition of the realities rather than allow us to relax into complacency.

Most media stay on one course and therefore they command their own lucrative audience. It is a pity. To overcome this we must expose ourselves to the opposing "media views."

In this desire for balance I frequently listen to talk radio. One can slip into the comfort zone of listening to the stations that support one's own ideas. One must be vigilant. In the San Francisco Bay Area I can listen to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and (Dr.) Mark Levin on KSFO 560 AM. On KNEW 910 I can treat myself to Michael Savage and his ideas. I have said over and over again that if you want to discuss media and ideology and the U.S. you must take these players into consideration. They command such an audience that they are important whether we like it or not.

With the aura of Obama adoration in the air, it was somewhat real to hear them talking him down. Dare I say that they have preempted what must follow. Obama must be removed from his pedestal. He cannot keep this adoration for too long as president? The public will pull him down? The collective, not just the right wing, media will knock the pedestal off its balance sooner or later.

A talk radio host shocked me in one instance. One commentator said that it was in bad taste for the press to field tough questions at Obama when he visited them at the White House. What did he expect? It seems he expected them to welcome him and ignore the tough questions. He should be smarter than that.

I suggest that he visit the press offices of the White House regularly and openly and that he take questions. Is it really so unreasonable to expect our technologically savvy president to visit the press and accept/answer questions regularly. After all the press is there to "represent" the public and report back to us? Why would our newly elected president want to NOT talk to the press and answer any questions?

And we must do our part by listening to the media's rendition of the president's answers from many different media sources. Then we must make informed deductions.