Media Bias 101 by Anna

Media Bias 101 by Anna - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I were a college professor, I would not teach history, math, science, or writing. I would not educate my students on how to analyze politics or the expertise behind running a business, nor would I guide them on their path to learning music, cooking, or engineering. I would not teach them how to master a trade, but rather, how to master their own judgments, perspectives, and actions. These three elements are shaped by their upbringing, past education, but most prevalently, by the influence of media in their lives.
There are countless outlets through which our lives are affected- social media, news networks, television shows, movies, books, and advertisements- and though I may not be able to stop the harmful prejudices and views transmitted through these outlets, I could at least teach my students how identify them to prevent their own perspectives from being affected negatively. I would teach them the values that I would wish to instill in my own children- I would teach them how to find the lies hidden in the half-truths, the poison laced in publicized statements, and the subtle facts omitted from the blaring headlines. I cannot reverse the views already forced upon them from a young age, but I could teach them how to recognize them so they will not allow themselves to be influenced in the future.
I would do this because the media is one of the most powerful forces in the world today. Right now it is the one thing keeping the public informed and entertained, but at a price. At the price of social conflict that escalates into unjustified hate, unprovoked attacks, and unnecessary wars. If used correctly, however, it could finally release the one thing that could heal our world, one thing that is stronger than the animosity that divides us, more enduring than the lies that motivate us, and more empowering than the misconceptions that poison us: the truth. The truth could help nurture a spirit of acceptance and understanding and encourage the world to grow instead of existing in a constant state of stagnancy.
I myself may not have the power to change the media singlehandedly- to eliminate the stereotypes that discourage world peace, to break down the expectations forced upon us at birth and reinforced throughout our lives, to correct the information filtered through the desires of corporate greed and political aspirations. I could, however, inspire my students to take action do so, and if I accomplish nothing else, I will have at least opened some students' eyes to the truth of the world around them and have fulfilled my true goal as an educator.