*All pictures taken from Melamine news articles*
“Cadbury Recalls Chinese-Made Chocolate As 22 More Are Arrested In Milk Scandal“, “"White Rabbit creamy candy" found to contain melamine”, “Two more samples fail melamine tests in Hong Kong”, “Taiwan bans baking agent after melamine detected”, “Japan finds melamine in egg powder”, “Judge Approves $24M in Pet Melamine-Poisoning Case”, “Vietnam finds 3 more melamine-tainted milk imports”, “U.S. company recalls cookies over melamine concerns”.
Does it scare you?
This example of the current milk problem China is facing displays how mass
media sometimes falls under the category of the Powerful Effects Theory, as well as use’s the Agenda Setting Function to send and
control its message.
Many different types of media’s are addressing this issue
worldwide through a variety of mediums such as newspaper, television news broadcasting and the radio. Through these mediums, the information is distributed fast and efficient, it is easy to announce updates, and the message strikes the audience hard as they tend to believe that “the media is always right”.
As a result of releasing this information, anyone who is aware of it, even the slightest bit, have an instant change in mindset when making consumable purchases. Common changes before making any purchases are, stopping to think whether it contains any milk, flipping it over to check the ingredients, then where it was manufactured / distributed / imported from, and even if the product doesn’t have the word China stated anywhere on the packaging, they’re still hesitant to purchase.
Although the public may think or say that they aren’t affected by the mass media for one reason or another, at times where it may concern “us” directly, we suddenly believe and break-a-sweat about it.
People start talking about it everywhere, in work, at school, on television, and it even becomes topics on our popular radio stations. In fact, there are even people on Yahoo! Answer’s posting up questions about it! (http://answers.yahoo.com/ )
When we think about media influence we think narrowly, in terms of perhaps fashion statements, a newly discovered healthy diet, global warming, plastic surgery, AIDS statistics or the thinnest mobile phone released.
However when a bomb goes off somewhere, or a couple countries have some food products recalled, everyone starts taking it personally and it becomes like worldwide gossip channel out there, where stories after stories get mixed up, next thing you know you’re being told that Chinese vegetables contain melamine, and you get all confused, so you decide to just stick to wheat or some other product you are “sure” is “safe”.
It is clear by now that the public are affected by this news, but now the question is why.
The mass media use’s the Agenda Setting Function to set the importance of this issue using by ensuring repetition of information to build up a heightened awareness which then leads to fear, side-by-side with priming,
so the message is conveyed across clearly with a strong impact.
An example of the repetition was obvious at the beginning of this entry where different countries with the same problem were being reported, however, even the same specific country with the same exact problem is repeatedly addressed as shown; “Melamine Scare Expands After Alabama Finds Tainted Chinese Cookies”, “Melamine Tainted Cookies Found in Alabama”, “Alabama Launches Poison Cookie Warning” and “Sparks: Melamine found in cookies sold in Alabama”.
At the time this concern first started hitting headlines the information was unobtrusive, where people were unable to moderate what they were witnessing because before then they most probably had never even heard of Melamine. After learning more about the topic from the volume of news coverage, the information became obtrusive to the point where people became cautious of what they were consuming, with the implication that there “just might be melamine in it”, even if their country had no occurrences. Take note that the tone of the media is cautioning, and suggests danger and threat to its audience. Even though some reports suggest that products have been taken off the shelves to ensure health, or that there are some products now passing the melamine tests, the reports still serve as a constant reminder to the public of such an issue, and that there is still the chance of sickness as products are still being “taken off shelves”.
Images have been shown of children who are affected, as well as products which have been found to contain melamine.
Pictures increase’s our fear significantly, as the saying goes “seeing is believing”, and pictures just state the facts bluntly, and assists to make a point that even the most harmless or common food items may contain a “potential sickness”.
Judge yourself, and ponder the question, “how affected are you really, by the media?”
Has your point of view changed since before you considered the things “which do affect you”?
It is a common habit for people to think about all the things that don’t affect them, and conclude that they’re unaffected, but once you’re pointed out the things that do affect you, somehow, things tend to look different from there on.
Sources:
http://www.asiaone.com/Health/Eat%2BRight/Story/A1Story20080921-89066.html
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/10/18/lotte-melamine.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/18/content_10215780.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/18/asia/AS-Taiwan-China-Tainted-Milk.php
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2378680/Article/index_html
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20081017TDY01306.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/16/asia/AS-Vietnam-Tainted-Milk.php
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ijkqdP60dIBRNRNIddCL6G7ljaigD93SI7FG0
Posts
4 comments:
i do agree that media has an effect on your perceptions.. even more so since there are many means for media these days..
Hi Christine!
I do believe that mediaa really affects you and one can never escape from it since it's everywhere!!
To answer your post title-no, a year ago i really don't know what melamine is (how ignorant are we, err..i mean, am i? =P). Thanksto media, now i'm informed.
Positive or negative, that depends upon the viwers. When my mum watched the news about melamine she was shocked, her reaction was "in my days there are no such problems" a.k.a melamine was not an isuue in those days, so i believe media has definitely fulfill its role =)
hahz i guess most of the population wouldnt know what melamine was until the recent uproar. i would like to add that media is influenced by those who hold economic and political power and it was apparent in this case. as supposedly the authorities in china discovered the problem of melamine in its food products even before the olympics began but they began the hush the local media about it as the chinese governement did not want the incident to affect its hosting of the olympics. so the media only release this news after the olympics. it is also quite interesting to observe the powerful effects theory as after the media publicise the whole issue i see many people scrutinizing their purchase.
Media has certainly affected me in one way or another. I'm highly drawn to glorious food advertisements! haha(:
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