Does the media undermine the government?

The media is both good and bad for our government. First, the media is a great tool for Americans to use daily. The media keeps us up to date with all types of news as well as keeps us informed of all the popular issues of the day. Without the media, people would not know what to think and would not be aware of what is going on around them, especially in other countries or in other places in the USA. The media is definitely essential in everyones lives now, but, it still plays a somewhat disturbing role. The media, since everyone turns to it for their news and information, is able to frame the way they wants things to look. If the media wants someone or something to look bad, they can choose what stories they want to report and their attitude toward the news. For example, if a news station is against the Iraq War, they would report the number of Americans that were killed rather than the successes we have had during the day. Another example of media framing government is in the election process. The media can frame Barack Obama to be a national hero who is going to come into office and "rescue the nation," even though this may or may not be true. Also, the media can make up false stories to get people to believe something that is completely untrue, something that CBS did a few years ago when they made a false document that would have led people to believe that George W. Bush had the minimum amount of military service. The media could have ruined the election for George W. Bush even though the reason would have been a lie. Also, the media can call for certain reforms to be made, which leads the population to cry out for these reforms as well. The bailout bill was heavily covered by the media which caused many people to become interested in it. There was great pressure by the media and the people for Washington to pass the bill quickly. Only time will tell if this was a good decision or not, but either way, the media played an enormous role in creating it. It is very clear that the media plays an important role in our society. I am not sure that media undermines government, but it definitely plays an important role in what our government does.