As a self-proclaimed news junky and someone who keeps up
with politics despite how it pushes me toward apathy, I tried
to avoid writing a blog about the U. S. government shutdown. I can’t avoid it anymore. This shutdown — prompted by Congress' failure to agree on a federal budget plan — has
furloughed 800,000 government workers. It’s been six days. There’s no
compromise on the horizon. The rhetoric is flying on both sides of the aisle.
And we all should have known what would happen, nothing is being done.
Media Matters! When it comes to the messaging that goes
along with the rival sides of the shutdown Republicans and Democrats are both
trying to litter “the public screen” with their perspective. This effort is
vigorously supported by cable news networks that have adopted a political
perspective in an effort to appeal to a specific audience and push for profits.
On day one of the shutdown Sean Hannity was one among many
FOX news personalities who seemed to not care because the shutdown didn’t
affect him personally.
On the other side of the cable aisle CNN dedicated at least
a couple days to showing features about American’s who can’t get into drug
trials that could potentially save their life until the shutdown ends.
Both sides of cable news squared off about WWII veterans not
being able to visit the WWII memorial in Washington DC because the shutdown
closed all national monuments. A correspondent on Fox said “Obama closed this
monument to inflict maximum pain on veterans.” CNN reported that the veterans
didn’t let the barricades stop them from visiting the memorial.
Regardless of which side you tend to side with politically
there’s no way to argue that when it comes down to the shutdown, media
matters!
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