A Different Kind of War in the Middle East

Of the 4 papers we have written so far this year, this paper appealed the most to me. It gave me a chance to write about my favorite television program (SportsCenter) on my favorite television network (ESPN). I feel like I did really well on this paper, as everything I wrote came naturally and flowed seamlessly, creating what I feel is my best paper thus far. The group discussion activity we did in class I found interesting. It gave me new and deeper insight into the multiple topics we discussed. I particularly liked my group’s topic on how cable poses a threat to broadcasting. I was unaware of all of the ways that cable was negatively affecting modern broadcasting and the changes it is forcing the agencies to make. What I found most intriguing about today’s class, however, was the documentary we watched. The Control Room was all about the media overseas, documenting and reporting on the US’s current war situation. What I did not know was the battle that is going on between foreign media agencies and US media agencies. The documentary made it clear to me the ways in which the media can twist and manipulate what is actually going on. One of the techniques they use is called sensationalism. Sensationalism is when someone or something is being controversial or very over the top. It is more commonly associated with adding emphasis on things that normally would not be emphasized; something the media loves to do. It is not even so much the exaggeration or sensationalism that has the biggest effect on me; it’s the way the Al Jazeera (a news network in the Middle East) is depicting the war from their side of things. They edit and cut clips of the war to portray them in ways that are inconsistent with the reality of the situation. I think this false interpretation is a large reason why the war is still raging on and why so many people living in the war countries despise America as much as they do.