Ideological Implications of the Mass Media.
News programs like the "Today" show and the "NBC Nightly News" are sources of mass communication for the American population. Mass communication does not allow for heterogeneous, isolated individuals. Through the media, people are united with general ideas and perceptions. Thousands of people turn on their televisions every morning and every evening to catch up on current issues and debates. However, how representative are these productions? Do they fully reflect the actual, historical time? The production of these television shows is an act in which the audience is not given unaltered information; rather, they are presented with a portrayal of American ideologies and assumptions. .
Individuals do not gain pure information from the news. Instead, they gain an understanding for a particular view of worldly events. News is not complete; however, it is not artificial either. By representing the underlying order of things, media is a conglomeration of the drama of this social world. This sacred act that is commonly associated with news media is a ritual view of communication. Carey compares the ritual view of communication to words like "sharing," "participation, and "association" (Carey, 1992). In contrast to the transmission view of communication, which emphasizes the movement of messages through space, the ritual view of communication emphasizes the maintenance of an ordered, meaningful cultural world based in time. The separation between these two views is more easily understood when concentrating on a specific comparison, such as "Today" and the "NBC Nightly News.".
The September 26th episode of "Today" was completely based on the tragic terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11th. The program included segments such as current updates on the events occurring in Afghanistan, relief efforts thus far, toys for kids in trying times, the impact of still photos, and the effects of the act on prime time television.
