Prediction

Media coverage on Iran will increase because of American interest and constant changes in the nuclear situation-Iran has now declared it has successfully enriched uranium and Mohamed El Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is going to visit Iran to discuss its nuclear program. And because the media has to do its ‘duty’ of attacking the administration so the public will think that it is independent thus maintaining its credibility. (Bennett Ch. 5)

Furthermore the public is interested because Iran’s act of defiance may cause the administration to use its policy of preemptive action which the administration has left as a viable option against Iran.

What I Learned…

So this is my last post of the semester and I would like to reflect on what I have learned about the media from class as well as from blogging on Iran.

Iran was only covered in the media when American interests were at stake or new developments occurred in the nuclear situation. That does not mean that we should have forgotten about the issue when it was not being covered because other media sources, such as the BBC continued to provide coverage.

The media in the US is constantly looking for stories that attract audiences, which would cause them to buy the newspaper. But allowing the media to set the agenda only causes us to ignore issues that impact us now or will in the future. Not actively seeking out information causes us to be isolated and puts us in harms way. For examples polices towards a country may have future consequences for us but because we never take the time to find out our government’s polices, when that country retaliates we shouldn’t be shocked…it’s our fault for not keeping a check on our government and its policies.