World TV Day, what else will the UN think of. Of course TV is a powerful medium for sharing information, education and of course entertainment when it is not being used to manipulate public opinion. According to the UN World Television Day is to "recognise that television plays a major role in presenting different issue that affect people".
It is a day to renew governments’, organizations’ and individuals’ commitments to support the development of television media in providing unbiased information about important issues and events that affect society." Unbiased being the operative word. Oh for the days when that was true. When we could listen/watch the facts being present and not only make up our own minds and form an opinon but also express that opinon without worrying about whether we were being "politically correct". Now all we get is a variety of opinons all vying for our agreement. Now we no longer can recognise truth from lies, or fact from fiction. Now we can't trust what we are told. How do we tell what is "information" and what is 'misinformation". I would be most interested if you can enlighten me on how to tell the difference.
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"The UN acknowledges that television can be used to educate many people about the world, its issues and real stories that happen on the planet. Television is one of the most influential forms of media for communication and information dissemination. It is used to broadcast freedom of expressions and to increase cultural diversity. The UN realized that television played a major role in presenting global issues affecting people and this needed to be addressed."
"Educational institutions may mark World Television Day on their calendars and educators may use this day as an opportunity to invite guest speakers to discuss media and communication issues relating to television. Discussion topics may include: how television promotes cultural diversity and a common understanding; the links between democracy and television; and the role of television in social, political and economic developments." All excellent aims. Now can we ask the programmers to stop dumming everything down and to treat us as responsible adults and give us something other than cooker, gardening, and so called reality shows to watch. Films and series more like Avatar which had a really good environmental message behind it, to educate us, but was also great fun to watch.