American Military and the Media

Over the last 50 years, various technological advances have fueled the public's need for rapid satisfaction. Whether it is the cure for the common cold or the arrival of an important package, the common theme is "faster is always better". This fact is most evident in the demand for current and accurate information across an array of diverse areas: music, sports, stock quotes--we want information as fast as possible. This need for information has created a multitude of news outlets across the media spectrum (TV, newspapers, magazines, etc.) that compete to be the first to bring the coverage to the audience. Sometimes this coverage can come at great risk to those providing it, such as reporters standing in the middle of a hurricane to bring you the "first images of the devastation as they occur". All of the elements that the public looks for in an exciting news story are present here: speed of information, a large change from normal news, and the potential for catastrophic and horrific images. It is this last element that carries the most weight when determining what makes a news story interesting. Adulterous politicians, money laundering business executives, and suicide bombers will always be the lead stories over the local school group helping out with Habitat for Humanity. Whether or not you agree, this is the reality facing the coverage that we see, and nowhere is the potential for these types of stories greatest than in armed conflict.