Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the possibility for war has become apparent to all Americans.
Whether pro or con, everyone has an opinion and wants to stay updated.
News channels should be commended for keeping America informed as the country progresses toward military action.
Constant updates are a necessity in today’s information-hungry America and thanks to these networks, we are never at a loss for knowledge.
Along with these traditional news channels, war coverage has become an important part of other networks’ programming.
Among these networks is a station that communicates mainly to young Americans: MTV.
While the network’s intention is simply to keep its audience informed, some media experts are claiming that MTV has no business reporting such serious matters.
Adam Buckman, television columnist for the New York Post, publicly opposed news coverage by MTV. Buckman claimed that the network’s staff cannot accurately report war coverage to its viewers and that such news should be covered only by experienced in-depth reporters.
He made the claim that MTV programming is not made for people who think “very deeply.”
Anyone who enjoys music television should take this as an insult to his or her intelligence. While it may be hard for some people to fathom, people who watch the channel are concerned about a lot more than Justin Timberlake’s love life.
MTV recently conducted an online poll revealing that the participants’ “top concern” was a tie between war and drug abuse.
Surprise! Young Americans are concerned about the well-being of their country! Thank goodness there is a television network that can relate to them.
At 10-to-the-hour, every hour, MTV News delivers a quick recap of the day’s current events.
While the segment nearly always includes clips involving celebrities, it also incorporates news.
As new information is released about war, viewers are updated. MTV also understands that its target audience (ages 14-24) is interested in other, more personal aspects of war.
This is evident in this week’s episode of the MTV’s reality show True Life: I’m Shipping Out, in which young American soldiers will get a chance to tell their stories as they prepare to go to war.
The soldiers on this show are people that MTV’s viewing audience can relate to. They are of the same age group and they have a lot of things in common with the viewers because they too are young Americans.
Another popular show on the network, Diary, usually allows viewers to experience a few days in the lives of their favorite celebrities.
However, MTV correspondent Gideon Yago is currently documenting the lives of young American troops, as well as young Arabs in Kuwait, for an upcoming episode.
The news channels on cable television are doing an excellent job reporting accurate, timely information on the war.
However, those channels are not geared toward this age group.
MTV is not attempting to become a news station. It is not claiming to exhaustively inform its viewers of the nation’s military operations.
MTV simply understands that networks such as MSNBC are not geared toward its target audience and it is trying to keep this age group informed.
Young America wants to know what is going on in the world, and MTV is the perfect outlet to educate them.

Author