The Power of News Media: "Diplomatic Meltdown" or "Growing Anger"?

You have likely heard all about the Edward Snowden/National Security Agency (NSA) leak scandal that has been prominent across many media outlets since Snowden’s first “leak” in June of 2013.

Get an overview on Edward Snowden, former U.S. NSA employee, here.

The global coverage continues today with media outlets (TV, radio, newspaper) confronting the leaked information about secret CIA and NSA operations in different ways. 

Most recent scandal: The NSA likely surveilled German Chancellor Angela Merkel's private communications. (Information revealed by Snowden, of course. And yes, this means tapping the Chancellor's personal cell phone.)

This article will compare United States' and Germany's newspaper coverage of this issue.

See the Abendzeitung Munich: "Diplomatic Meltdown."

See the New York Times: "Anger Growing Among Allies on U.S. Spying."

Trends to notice:

• Political Controversy: Like I said in my last post, controversy, especially on this global scale, means interesting content. Interest equals profit for media companies.
• Newspapers worldwide covered this material.
• Demassification: Both newspapers emphasized specific information that was relevant to their audience. 
• For example, each paper published it in their country's respective language.

• Media Purposes:
• Community building
• Other articles in the German press suggest tips to make sure you, a potential NSA target, aren't being surveilled. These articles create a community through country-wide shock and outrage.

Abendzeitung Munich headlines concerning the NSA scandal.

• Inform & entertain
• Because it's political controversy, these stories are newsworthy (selected because they are deemed important by gatekeepers) as well as interesting.
• Both articles are serious and informative, but as seen above, Abendzeitung Munich posted more creative articles like, "How to make life difficult for the NSA."
• Effects:
• Framing
• What the NY Times calls a "diplomatic challenge," Abendzeitung Munich calls "completely unacceptable."
• Each paper explains the same event in a different way, giving their audiences a different frame of understanding from which to draw conclusions.
• Agenda-setting
• Media decide what their audience is aware of. By covering and dramatizing this event, these papers force the controversy to the front of knowledge.

It is critical to note media's huge function in our lives, especially when considering powerful news sources. Without proper consideration, media can decide what we, their audience, thinks about. You must be aware of media motives and trends to be an informed citizen. Simply relying on articles in your favorite newspaper is no longer enough.


Check out the full sources for more info.

• Sources used in this article:
• "Anger Growing Among Allies on U.S. Spying" by New York Times
• "Diplomatic Meltdown" by Abendzeitung Munich
• "Generating Newsworthiness: Interpretive Construction of Public Events" by Marylin Lester
• "The Case for Demassification" by John Sheridan
• "The Media of Mass Communication" by John Vivian
• Extra news sources
• "Edward Snowden is NSA Info Leaker" by CNN
• "How to make life difficult for the NSA" by Abendzeitung Munich
• "NSA Files Decoded" by The Guardian
• "Why Angela Merkel is Outraged" by Miami Herald