Imagine: There are 1000 events happening in the world today. What all would come into the newspapers? Who decides these are IMPORTANT? Are you reading what actually matters or just what CERTAIN people think matters?

Media is complex and operates on:

-gatekeeping
-framing (Walter Lippman)
-propaganda model (by Noam Chomsky)

Gatekeeping: Gatekeeping theory, at its most basic level, is the idea that there is selectivity in the process of determining what news stories are published or broadcast. A major point of the theory, as developed by psychologist Kurt Lewin, is that there are forces that can either inhibit or aid the flow of news items through the "gates" (Shoemaker, 1996).

A famous quote is: You cannot control what the public think, but you can control what the public think about.

Frames, frames!

Every reporter or every newspaper will 'frame' an issue in a certain way.
This affects us in various ways: for eg, the minute someone talks to you about Al-Qaeda, you think in your mind 'terrorists'.

This is because most newspapers would automatically talk of Al-Qaeda as 'terrorists'. That is framing (source: Walter Lippman). It creates a 'picture in our heads' (stereotype) about Al-Qaeda. You have to question whether this ASSUMPTION reflects reality. If so, why? Do not swallow these assumptions.

Third is Noam Chomsky's propaganda model:

The idea is simple: big newspapers and broadcasters belong to business corporates and automatically do things that favour their owners and advertisers as well as people in power. It is reflected in what is reported and also how it is reported. For eg, CNBC, MSNBC (US) are owned by General Motors, a company which manufactures weapons for the military!! Imagine the news coming out of that.

Also, Chomsky suggests that journalists tend to listen like lil lambs to people in power (such as government officials). Journalists ARE one of the most power hungry people on earth (my experience) and love the attention they get from people in power (Quote: Robert Fisk). So most news reports are filled with what government officials think, feel, will do, etc. (eg: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6346901.stm
Is quoting government officials and press conferences the right way to report? Doesn't such a preoccupation with press conferences draw an incomplete picture of reality.... a reality where common people's voices should be heard?