News stations twist stories to attract audiences and represent events differently based on political leanings. Right-wing stations blame victims of police brutality for their own situations, while left-wing stations focus on police actions. Reality TV and celebrity news sites also exploit individuals for profit or attention. Some sources wrongly tied the Sandy Hook shooting to unrelated issues like video games. Not all media misrepresents; some outlets like CNN factually reported the Sandy Hook timeline without unsupported claims.

1. DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
Exploitation in the
Media Industry
“Media’s appetite for telling and selling stories lead them
not only to document tragedy, but also to exploit or
misrepresent it”
Kathryn O. Lighthall
9/1/2014

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News stations like Fox News and CBS have the power to pull audiences towards negative views
on events happening around the world. Due to the increasing popularity of the internet, media
influence is not limited to the Sunday paper, or what neighbors of previous generations “heard through
the grapevine.” This generation has the ability to pick and choose the sources they wish to trust based
off of their race, sex, and political affiliations. In the modern era of news coverage, news stations twist
stories the way they wish for the audience to depict them, so they can get more attention.
Right vs. left wing stations are known for delivering controversial news on the same event.
When it comes to the relationship between race and police brutality, right wing stations, like Fox News,
tend to view the story as though the minority put him or herself in that situation, whereas left wing
stations, like CNN, tend to look at and blame the situation on police brutality. For example, when
Michael Brown was shot multiple times by a cop after robbing a convenience store in Ferguson,
Missouri, CNN News reported autopsied evidence that Brown was shot six to eight times in the chest,
even after surrendering. After an audio recording of the series of gun shots was released, including a
pause in the rounds, phrases like “I was very concerned about that pause ... because it's not just the
number of gunshots, it's how they're fired,” followed suit (Yan, H. 2014). CNN is implying that even
though Brown did rob a convenient store, he was not making violent or intimidating motions towards
the cop who shot him. In contrast, Fox News displayed their interview with a conservative politician,
Ben Carson, making statements like “I’m not sure this is a police versus blacks situation,” and “we
need to look at bigger issues” (“Carson says Brown...”). To the audience, it looks as though Fox News
wants to put this touchy issue in the past and move onto more “serious” affairs.
News is not only covered in tragedy of worldwide proportions, but sometimes of just one
person's tragedy. Reality television stations do not always show the reality side of a celebrity's
situation, as they should, but sometimes twist around the story to make it more exciting to the viewer.
The power to make or break celebrities is legitimate among “reality”/entertainment stations like VH1
and E!News. Creambmp.com and other celebrity news sources jumped on the story when Miley Cyrus

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made a joke about being pregnant. This particular source used phrases like “I assure you she’s been
doing a lot more than twerking,” whom rapper Juicy J inferred, and a quote from her father, Billy Rae
Cyrus, “she really broke my achy breaky heart” to lead the audience to believe that she was really
pregnant (“Miley Cyrus Announces...”). Many sources followed quotes such as these with a photo of
her crying on the cover of Lifestyle magazine, to emphasize the “reality” of the situation she got herself
into.
In 2012, a tragic event took place that had news stations from all around discussing gun rights;
the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Many sources used this as a scapegoat to blame
possibly unrelated causes to the boys' madness - including their musical taste, video games, and
bowling. According to a veteran law enforcement officer, video games are solely to blame after finding
a “score sheet” of murders in one of the shooter's homes. He then states that "This was the work of a
videogamer, and that it was his intent to put his own name at the very top of that list. They believe that
he picked an elementary school because he felt it was a point of least resistance, where he could rack
up the greatest number of kills” (Chalk, A. 2013). Many believe that video games are to blame for
violence in young people, but certain sources used this occurrence to directly tie the two together as
though video games are, in fact, the leading reason as to why this event took place.
Other media sources, like CNN News, approached the story of Sandy Hook with a steady foot,
and simply documented what went on – leaving undetermined causes unknown. This particular news
station only documented the who, what, where, and when: no biases (“Sandy Hook Elementary...”).
In conclusion, in the modern era of news coverage, news stations twist stories the way they
wish for the audience to depict them, so they can get more attention. Right vs. left wing stations
deliver the same content, but represent it in a way that would appeal to their particular party. Similarly,
people view celebrities in a different light due to the amount of exploitation that goes on throughout all
means of media. A magazine, for instance, could use a photo of a celebrity asleep in his/her car, and
direct the headline towards him/her having a drug problem. In reality, that celebrity could just be tired.

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News stations also use tragic events to bring up much less serious topics, causing the audience to look
past the main event, and focus on reasons that may or may not be true.

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References
Carson says Brown killing beyond matter of race, citing 'personal responsibility' (2014, August 24).
Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/24/carson-says-brown-killing-
beyond-matter-issue-citing-personal-responsibility/
Chalk, A. (2013, March 18). Cop Blames Videogames For Sandy Hook Massacre.
Retrieved from http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122752-Cop-Blames-
Videogames-For-Sandy-Hook-Massacre
Miley Cyrus Announces Pregnancy by Rapper Juicy J On Stage at BET Hip Hop Awards. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://creambmp.com/articles/miley-cyrus-pregnant-by-juicy-j/
Sandy Hook Elementary shooting: What happened? (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html
Yan, H. (2014, August 24). Attorney: New audio reveals pause in gunfire when Michael Brown was
shot. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/michael-brown-ferguson-
shooting/index.html

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References
Carson says Brown killing beyond matter of race, citing 'personal responsibility' (2014, August 24).
Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/24/carson-says-brown-killing-
beyond-matter-issue-citing-personal-responsibility/
Chalk, A. (2013, March 18). Cop Blames Videogames For Sandy Hook Massacre.
Retrieved from http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122752-Cop-Blames-
Videogames-For-Sandy-Hook-Massacre
Miley Cyrus Announces Pregnancy by Rapper Juicy J On Stage at BET Hip Hop Awards. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://creambmp.com/articles/miley-cyrus-pregnant-by-juicy-j/
Sandy Hook Elementary shooting: What happened? (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-timeline/index.html
Yan, H. (2014, August 24). Attorney: New audio reveals pause in gunfire when Michael Brown was
shot. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/26/us/michael-brown-ferguson-
shooting/index.html