Lights, Camera, ACTION! Portrayal of Agriculture in the American Media
Thomas Jefferson once said, ¨Agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.”(Jefferson, 1787, para. 1) Agriculture has changed a lot throughout the history of America, along with technology. Due to the advancements in both areas, the stereotype and portrayal of agriculture has also changed. Agriculture is something that America was founded upon, and for centuries it was seen as a positive field which held the very basis of the country. However, as technology has advanced, agriculture has been portrayed in different ways and sadly, those portrayals have changed into a negative manner. Although this
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Throughout American history, it is seen that agriculture is something heavily valued, and yet the current view of agriculture is negative, and this change is all an impact of the media and technology that is available at the fingertips of the American people. Bailey Hoerbert completed a study in 2020 about how agriculture is portrayed and affected by the media. Hoerbert states, ¨Studies have shown that Americans tend to fear food production and production agriculture. This fear stems from not understanding what farmers are doing and why they are doing it¨ (Hoerbert, 2020, para. 1). This clearly demonstrates the issue that agriculture is facing caused by the modern media portraying agriculture in a negative manner, and also it stems from not having the coverage that is deserved. Hoerbert continues to explain the reasoning behind the fear of agriculture as well as why those who are not involved with it find it so disturbing and perceive it negatively. Hoerbert states, "Younger adults have more trust in technological sources such as bloggers, and TV personalities than information from industry professionals. While information is becoming more available at faster rates, not all media information is accurate¨(Hoerbert, 2020, para. 1). With young adults being the majority of those using the media on a daily …show more content…
Not only is it harming how agriculture is seen today, but it is also harming the way the world trusts agriculture and how it will progress in the future. Agriculture has made major developments all throughout history which have led to the modern farmer, but the modern farmer is portrayed so negatively that it is harmful, and those who are advocating against the spread of a negative perception are the reason agriculture is going to be able to continue. Although there are agriculturalists who are working to better the name of agriculture, there is still a possibility that it will continue to grow as an issue in the