The Masses should no longer trust the photographs and film in the Essay

The Masses should no longer trust the photographs and film in the strategic communications of a Modern State that is able to use sophisticated technology to alter images - Essay Example This paper argues that the masses should no longer trust the photographs and film in the strategic communications of a Modern State that is able to use sophisticated technology to alter images. The media could have their own private agenda other than showing unbiased visuals. They could be influenced or coerced by politics and economic considerations in order to mislead the viewer. It would be interesting to define the difference between influencing and manipulating. The former term does not necessarily denote a negative tone as per the meaning given in the Oxford dictionary. The term primarily means the capacity of an individual or organization regarding an effect on character, behavior or outlook. It could be either positive or negative. But manipulation, according to the same dictionary indicates cleverness or unscrupulous intent. So any, manipulation of media images and movies could be construed as having a personal agenda, so as to mislead the viewer into believing the wrong scenario or situation. One of the main areas of media manipulation is political in nature. â€Å"The media is manipulated in all manners, for example through professional public relations (PR), and covert and overt government propaganda which disseminates propaganda as news. What are often deemed as credible news sources can often knowingly or unknowingly be pushing political agendas and propaganda†. (Shah). The author provides the example of video news releases (VNR). These clips are created by public relations firms and agencies and integrated into actual news broadcasts. TV stations then add these VNRs into their news time broadcasts thereby fooling the public that it is a live telecast. Shah adds that VNRs are used not only by government agencies, but also by companies who have the financial clout and influence to get their point across. It could be for the purpose of building brand