The media is everywhere you turn. You can find the media in various forms such as television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and now on the information superhighway. In the process of capturing ratings, who is the media harming more? Is it people who are accused of a crime, such as O.J. Simpson, or is it the American public’s stupidity for believing everything they hear? Limitations greatly need to placed upon the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution in regard to freedom of the press because presently the media is doing more harm than good.

The United States mass communications systems are entering an era of rapid technological change and the need for policy reform is becoming increasingly apparent. The role of the FCC changes from day to day. Passage of the telecommunications bill in January 1996 created 60 new guidelines for the FCC to follow when they are considering whether something is decent or not. The bill also rejected the idea that the Internet was the electronic equivalent of the printing press. The legislators concerned themselves more with the broadcasting of indecent materials such as pornography to minor. Anyone caught soliciting these materials to minor can be given a maximum of 10 years in jail. (Lewis B14)

And so in conclusion, how should the media be regulated? Many people feel that the solution to the problem is to create a new media doctrine of self restraint. Opponents of this feel that this would alter the information and this country would evolve into a dictatorship. But, if something is not done soon, who knows what will happen? “If the media does not establish an internal system of self -regulation, the government will surely intrude, a step that will begin with regulation and ultimately lead to censorship” (Deskowitz 150). Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of America’s image of itself. And the question of free speech is arguably one of the most complex of all constitutional issues. To solve the problem there must be a partnership between the media and the American public. If the public doesn’t want lies and gossip, then that’s what the media will give them. But as America continues to be fascinated by lies and gossip, then the press will continue to print it.

It is our job, as the media, to report about what the public wants. If they want to hear about the Menedez brothers, the Bobbitts, Tonya and Nancy, Whitewater, or O.J. Simpson, then we’ll report about it. We need to write about what the public wants in order to keep them buying newspapers. (Nachman 26)

great entertainment value. “It has a great plot- a football star kills his beautiful ex-wife and her lover in the heat of passion. The treatment of the O.J. Simpson case shows how the media has become purveyors of drama rather than information” (Gabler 12). There were an incredible amount of rumors surrounding the case. Some people have said that the Simpson case is an “American tragedy” that became the center of a media circus. Because of the enormous media coverage it caused making the selection of an impartial jury nearly impossible. It also led to having the jury sequestered during the trial as well.

When O.J. Simpson was recently interviewed on BET(Black Entertainment Television) he said, "The biggest villain in my ordeal was the media. The media follows me everywhere I go. They report one erroneous rumor after another. The media images some Americans saw were not ones that were actually shown in court" (Jet 89). O.J. Simpson also went on the say in that interview that the media only showed the people that were upset on his released and held signs that said “Butcher of Brentwood”

Some topics in this essay:
Noam Chomsky, OJ Simpson, Lewis B14, Simpson American, Bankers Trust, United America, Tags Stern”, John Silber, Fairness Doctrine, Jones NASDAQ, oj simpson, radio television, power media, nachman 26, supreme court, fairness doctrine, june 27 1993, job media, june 27, stock market, 21 1993, supreme court heard, june 21 1993, infinity broadcasting company,