Speaker labels media neither friend nor foe

The media is neither friend nor foe, only a tool to be wisely used said a guest speaker who was addressing a recent meeting of a local women’s club.

Michael Emerson, media professional and lecturer, presented his thoughts during a recent meeting of the Thousand Oaks Republican Women Federated at Westlake Inn. Emerson is the former host of "Face to Face," a syndicated radio talk show once heard in countries throughout the world.

Emerson said he developed an interest in how media controls the way people think at an early age. At 16, he attended a communications’ convention and upon entering the hall, he spotted a banner proclaiming, "Mass Media Molds the Minds of Modern Man." He said he’s been thinking about that concept ever since.

Mass media, according to Emerson, share ideas or information through mediums such as print or newspapers, magazines and others like feature films, advertising and electronic sources such as TV and radio. The media to a great extent influence what people think about, how they think and when they think about different issues.

American media are the world’s most powerful form of what he termed "artificial influence."

"That’s because it comes with implied authority," he said. "People tend to believe that if you hear, see or read it, it must be true." Not only that, he said, but through what he termed "controlled rebuttal," media pick and choose who rebuts the information disseminated, and under what terms and conditions.

Additionally, Emerson said that—of all the forms—electronic media enjoy an almost total lack of accountability.

"A statement is here and then it’s gone," Emerson said. "You can’t say, ‘But you said this,’ because what will happen is the speaker will deny the statement by saying, ‘No, what I said was …’ and many times there’s no way to prove what was actually said."

Emerson asked, "Who gives media that authority?" and he answered his query by saying that it’s up to each person whether or not to allow the media to have control of their thinking.

To understand how media influence people, one must understand the purpose of media, he said. "And that purpose is to make money," Emerson said. "When you realize that is the core of what drives media, you have to look at its strengths and weaknesses."

Emerson said that media strengths include the ability to reach millions of people from a position of power, most of the time unchallenged, with limited rebuttal, and to a great extent, without accountability.

"That is the power of media," he said. "To reach people with the power to influence their thinking."

The weakness is credibility.

"When a network begins to lose its credibility, it loses its viewers and it loses its money," Emerson said. "We need to begin to hold the people who work in front of the microphones accountable for their words."

However, Emerson said that it’s a double edged sword, since unedited media help to preserve a way of life that believes the rights of the governed are more powerful than the government.

"We need not fear media, we need to embrace it. We need not hide from media, we need to engage it. A person cannot allow their ideals to be manipulated by the press. Instead, people must learn to promote their message of self-determination through the media," Emerson said.

The highest purpose of the media is not to mold minds, but to awaken them to independent thought, he said. "Media is not our friend, but it is also not our foe," Emerson said. "Media is the most powerful tool for communication ever invented, but it is only a tool. It is used as people allow it to be used."