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Amusing Ourselves To Death By Neil Postman Analysis

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Politics and media have always had a complex and varied relationship, we will be looking at how media frames politics in a variety of different ways. The different frames will also be linked to Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death and how entertainment has come to influence the construction of frames within news stories. We will also be linking this to a variety of other sources, primarily Semetko & Valkenburg their contribution to framing. Finally, we will look at the effects of framing news pieces in the way that news agencies currently do and how it affects the viewers. The beginning of the text and first news story encompasses Jacinda Ardern being chosen to lead the new labour government. Within this first news story there are multiple …show more content…

The story begins with Andrew Little stepping down from the position the head of Labour, showing the frame of responsibility (Semetko & Valkenburg, 2000). Simply put, this draws the viewers who don’t already know about Little stepping down and make it entertaining. This relates quite heavily to the book by Neil Postman, where he states that media has become more and more about entertaining the populace (Postman, 1987).The remainder of the news story revolves around Jacinda Ardern and people’s reactions to her becoming the new Labour Leader. The news about Jacinda is highly positive, however it should be noted that the positivity of Ardern being chosen is coupled heavily with a negativity for the current National government which produces a frame of conflict. The interview section with this first story gives the viewers a human interest aspect, which further draws in the population. Yet again, this is a way to get people entertained and to continue watching the news story, this brings in viewers who want to know what the average person thinks. However, the news story does have a negative aspect for the Labour party in regards to them changing leadership, with Jacinda being the sixth leader in nine …show more content…

negativity. The framing is done this way intentionally to bring in the audiences to entertain them and make them think about the current upcoming election through the current actions of various political leaders. With the current political climate in New Zealand this is a very effective method to draw in viewers and to keep them entertained. The effects of the way the news is currently being framed makes the audience question the current government and to make the average viewer more politically aware, it further highlights significant issues to everyday people while attempting to be entertaining. Overall, in accordance to Neil Postman, the news is attempting to entertain us, desensitize us and always bring us back to continue watching. As Postman said; “The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining”(Postman, 1987). This in itself is what the news story is attempting to do, coupled with the upcoming election it makes all frames entertaining to the average viewer regardless of whether it is something that should be entertaining or

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