Do you think the media should take more responsibility for its content?

I don't think that regulations will solve anything. It's something that has to come up naturally. Media should control themselves just looking at what society demands and expects. Maybe the media should be more aware that what they give us/show us has a great influence on us, but at the same time i think that us the people should be aware that we cannot live our live only according to what the media says. Sometimes we lack a point of self meditation, to make our own conclusions, and that's not the media's fault, but our own.

First, an observation. Media in America are actually more powerful, though they seldom make most use of that advantage. It is decidedly harder, for example, to get sued for libel and lose if your in the American press than in UK or Europe at large. Yes, the UK tabloids flex their muscles, but it all appears in jolly good fun, as frankly the entire UK print media world appears ready for a good laugh more than it iks seriously covering things. That being said I can also state unequivicably that the media in the UK are far more entertaining than the blandness that dominates the New World print landscape.

It depends on by whom the media are sponsored. Commercial tv always reflects the needs of the sponsors even if they are newschannels. It's the responsibility of the viewer not to be influenced by the media. Therefore people need to educate themselves with information drawn from several sources. I think freedom of speech must be allowed otherwise maybe something like Watergate would never have been disclosed if there was censorship.

The same also here in the philippines. I think the media should be able to regulate themselves and refrain from printing or airing certain news that would not be beneficial to the country & its people. but the media still gets on with their news and doesnt mind the very negative effect and seems to relish news that are very negative. They forget that in freedom of speech there is also the responsibility to make sure that the common good is served and that just on making profits or increasing their ratings.

the fact that media is powerful and influential, it should therefore, be responsible for its content. the case you have given is true anywhere else. media can affect the education and general knowkedge of a society. if quality shows and movies are aired then media is helping the society from whatever defficiences and troubles it is having. unlike here in the philippines, most local shows are plain celebrity gossip, jokes that are spoiled and old and game shows that make most audiences dependent on winning to have money. they do entertain a group of people however, these affect much of people's attitude and character. not to mention the lack of educational shows since our country's education is only favorable to the wealthy. the educated masses usually get low quality education in shools plus, corrupted, tailored media in favor of those in power. journalists have that code of ethics which i think they should always be considered so as not to hinder freedom of speech and lack of responsibilty for whatever mesage they are giving. and i also dont think freedom of speech is really freedom of speech if it doesn't consider the rights of others and its effect on people. others also have the rights to be given that freedom you know.

Yeah I think that the media should take some stuff seriously. They're too busy screwing around because they've got so much influence on the people. They should turn that around into a better thing. instead of like saying oh tight pants are so in. Or this new clothing line is definatly a no no. They are so influenced by them because they want to be cool. No outed or booed. They want to fit it. The government should influence them if anything not the media. What a shame.

Yes I think they should I find that to many People are starting to listen to much now to the Media. I actually do not read the Newspaper or anything like that as I am fed up with the Way Celebrities are being torn apart in their Privat Life and how they exagerate about things in the Papers.

Yes the media should take responsibility for its content because they are the ones being seen by the public and they should make it known the types of news they are showing if it will influence the whole nation positively or negatively.

Yes, i definitely think that the media should take more responsibility for what it airs. As you said, people are easily influenced. Heck, I'd like to think that I'm at least semi-intelligent, and I still know that I am easily lead. I just have that sort of a personality, because I'm really moved by other people's emotions and views about subjects. And the media is a truly powerful thing. Rules and regs for the media would be really nice.

I trained as, and worked as a Journalist for several years, in my dim, and distant past, and the manipulation was always there. It's just that nowadays it is a lot more obvious, and less subtle, than it was 20, or 30 years ago. Oe of my little hobbies (not sure I should call it that really!), is to buy 2 distinctly different newspapers on the same day, and read their interpretation of that day's news, and the slant they put on the same thing is so amazingly biased, you might as well be reading about two different events. Try it some time - buy, say, a "Telegraph" and a "Guardian", or an "Express", and a "Mirror", and compare them - it is truly staggering. I truly believe that kids today should be taught more in the way of media studies, so that they can see more clearly that all they read is not necessarily true. I personally don't want regulations put in place over the Press, because these could be used by an unscrupulous government for their own ends, and I truly do beieve in Freedom of Speech at any oost. Interesting discussion - thanks.

This would be a very touchy subject. If the government were the ones to place the restrictions on the news media then without question your answer would and should be no. However there should be some governing body within the press itself that should control it somehow. When people rely on the news as much as they do it should be as accurate as possible. Of course in order to get the story out first that is not always possible but there should be no deliberate false statements made just to get market share. Even today....or I should say especially today the news media remains our only link with reality. But we all should know that what is said in the news media should be taken with healthy dose of skeptizem. If the same story is told in several places we can assume it to be true. But the news media should never be so powerful that it begins to direct peoples lives. If that happens the fault lies with the people.

The media does play a very crucial role in everyones lives some way or the other.they can do good and the worst to a person at the same time too.they can exaggerate a sneeze of a celebrity to as if he commited a crime and so on.they mostly try targeting on the lives of people and try exploiting them without thiking about their privacy and their sentiments.i think the media should try dealing with sensitive issues carefull and not create a rukus out of them.

yes, the media should be responsible enough to answer for whatever actions they do. everybody is always hooked to the TV or to the radio or reading papers -- or even just glancing. i think that media people should always, ALWAYS practice journalism that is fair.

DEFINITELY !!!!! They think they can say everything they want, dramatize everything, just to get good ratings. Personally, the more they push, the more they tell which way to go, the more I am inclined to follow my own believes. As for American TV, stop teaching the world how to fool the police, the FBI, the CIA, how to attack a bank, you name it, they show you.

NO, i think people should know that they can make there own decisions, just like saying if your friend jumps off a bridge will you!!

Media is a very powerful form of influencing people. it had a great impact on all individuals and we really cannot stop it. People do get influenced by what they read in the papers or see on TV - They should be smarter and realise what is right/wrong/worth their time. I don't think media can be stopped but people can - they can start by educating their kids and cutting short their tv time (Atleast on stupid tv shows/soap operas - i'm ok with discovery, national geographic, animal planet..even cartoon network!).

The media in the U.S. is also persuasive and biased. We get different views and opinions depending on the network, TV station, and newspaper that is presenting the "story". You're right, the media does have a lot of power, and it's sad that they don't use that influence and power more appropriately. I think that an unbiased and factual report of the actual news would mean so much more than the reports that they give which are full of slants and innuendos; I guess the sensationalism is what the public wants, though. I know that there are certain guidelines for the media, and they are allowed to "stretch the truth and the facts" to a certain degree, but are not allowed to intentionally present lies or known untruths. We see them stretch the limit all the time in order to get viewers and stories. I feel that it should be up to the networks to employ reporters who are ethical enough to present factual information to the public, but I do think that freedom of speech is an important right to preserve. It should be up to each individual citizen to seek news from a variety of sources in order to come up with a realistic opinion of his/her own about important issues. We should all take the responsibility to be sure that we are informed of the facts; since we know that the media is sensational and biased, we need to take that into account when making decisions- especially when it comes to political decisions and voting.

yes there should be some restrictions to what media publishes let it be electronic or paper..some governments have some definite rules also to inform them before publishing anything..so i dont know what country you live but some countries have such rules..i wont name them here.thanks

even in my country the media is very powerful. it can make or break a person's public image. and i feel it is mostly unfair and biased. the news reporters just want to make money and create a sensation. and they just do it ANYHOW . some cases of media wrongly targetting people have also been reported here and there.

Though I am not from your part of the world (once been under the hegemony of the mentioned nation) I would surely like to comment on the issue.Agreed!Freedom of speech is one very essential symbols of any country irrespective of the type of governance prevailing there.It represents the thoughts and feelings of a citizen of the country on a comprehensive basis.The presence of the papparazi infuses democracy in non democratic countries also. But gone are those days when the media presented only reports and not verdicts.There are a lot of reality shows,group discussions,rendezvous shows and arguments telecast.Though some of them are "must watch"(like tech shows,lifestyle shows)others are unnecessary.The media may abstain from passing judgements.It should leave it to the people.As you pointed the media has a great influence on people's lives today that they influence the thought process of a typical citizen who gets carried away by the manner in which news is sometimes blown out of proportion and the lot of hype created over movie industry stars and other celebrities.Though the effect is not deliberate and direct,the cogency of news and tabloids make people believe it's claimed veracity.We need news channels that present neutral necessary news only.As too much of anything will be boring in the long run.