blogger profile

Sara Conrad

Editor, skirt! Jacksonville

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love thinking and talking about feminism and writing for skirt!. I went to the University of Iowa and I'll put up a good fight about spelling. ...

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Let's hear it for the media

I stand up for my sisters!

And by sisters, I am including all the dudes inmedia, too. Like a brotherhood. Except a sisterhood, because I’m trying to use the feminine form universally, like we’ve used “he” to mean “she” as well, and saying “Man did this...” when we meant “People did this...”. Like that.

I digress.

I came here to stand up for media, not only because these days very few will, but also because I genuinely believe that most people get into the media sisterhood/brotherhood/awesome-hood because they honestly want the public to receive honest news so that the public can make decisions for themselves based on all the information.

I believe that.

Maybe I’m an idealist. Maybe I have crazy, foolish faith in humanity. Maybe. But I seriously believe that people should be able to make their own decisions. Maybe that means inside I’m a control freak and I secretly want everyone else to be a control freak. I think it actually has something to do with me wanting people to be independent and to think for themselves. Is that bad? Who knows? Only my therapist.

But I just want to say thank you to the media that have been reporting all of these storms and giving us the information that we need to make informed decisions. I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how media “over-reported” Fay and “made us panic for no reason.”  I am here to say that I completely disagree.

First of all, a person showing up to a hurricane site and reporting on what she sees is not dramatizing. It’s simply reporting. People are actually risking their lives to show others how dangerous it is out there to limit the amount of people that risk their own lives to go outside and check out the storm because they are not watching someone do that for them (for free!) on the news. The reporters are doing their job not just because it is their job, but because they honestly care about people and they would rather limit the danger that people put themselves in by doing it themselves. I think, anyway.

Second of all, the media can not “make you feel” a certain way. Yeah, they’re pretty talented writers, reporters and crew, but they aren’t magic. I think a person chooses how they feel and what actions to take after receiving information. It’s not like Channel Whatever News pushed you into your bathtub and packed up your hurricane pack for you. No, I did that myself, after they dutifully told me a torado was on its way. If they hadn’t done their job and didn’t report the tornado, in fear of excessively worrying me, and a tornado hit my apartment unannounced, (which it didn’t, I realize, but it could have)  I would be far more pissed. I would be like, hey, if you just let me know it was headed my way, I would have jumped into my tub, and I woudln’t be dead.

That is why I want to say thank you, media. You are everywhere so I don’t have to be. It’s like having 30 extra me’s checking out the weather in all parts of town, or the war when I’m too chicken to go to war myself.

I think they deserve some kudos.