THE OLD adage says that ignorance is bliss, but a whole generation of Americans is abandoning that mindset. Over the past couple of months, young adults, like everyone else, have been seeking up-to-the-minute news on the after effects, safety and U.S. retaliation.
One of the many effects of September's national tragedy, and probably the only positive one, was to pull the country out of a false sense of security. We now are much more aware of the dangers we face and hopefully will be more prepared for them in the future. This has led to heightened homeland security, bringing the United States closer to most European nations in the amount of security at airports and other public venues. Among the younger generations, this heightened awareness has led to an increased interest in the news. For this increased interest to be significant, and to keep from falling back into inattentiveness and complacence, our attention to the news must extend beyond the coverage of Sept. 11th and its fallout.
Television and print news media, as well as Internet news sites, are estimating increases in viewers and sales among 18 to 34 year olds, according to news organization MSNBC Online.
News consumption among those in their twenties and early thirties has been low in the past few decades. Their increased interest in the news could help an industry eyeing financial trouble. The news industry is feeling the effects of Sept. 11 in more ways than one. The cost of covering events related to the attacks and the war on terrorism both domestically and especially abroad is daunting. CNBC and MSNBC both announced layoffs this week and MSNBC has stopped all long-form documentary production not related to the war on terrorism. The lay-offs and programming changes are due to the high cost of covering the war on terrorism in addition to concerns about advertising prospects for 2002, according to MSNBC spokesman Erik Sorenson
The new generation of news consumers could help combat that cost if their interest holds up. Most advertising during news programs, particularly prime-time news magazines, is aimed at an older audience, hence the advertisements for arthritis treatments and Posturepedic beds. If 20-somethings keep watching the news and buying newspapers, a new set of advertisers could be interested in the evening news and could provided a much-needed source of revenue.
Beyond news media benefiting from a new audience, the younger generations will be well served by more news. Particularly in college, it is easy to get wrapped up in the immediate present and forget about the rest of the world. If anything has changed since Sept. 11, it's that there is a new need for information.
There is a risk of panic in warnings about possible imminent attacks and Anthrax scares. However, when one incident can affect everyone in the country, there's no such thing as too much news. There's no way we could have anticipated the attacks in New York and Washington, but now that our sense of invincibility has been taken from us, there is no excuse for ignorance.
The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon also have taught us that the nation's knowledge of world affairs was pitiable. The U.S. plays a huge role in world politics and, like it or not, is a major force in so-called globalization. As a result, Americans have a responsibility to know what our country is doing across the globe.
Americans often elect our president based on his stand on abortion, gun control or on promises to cut taxes or improve Social Security. No less important is a foreign policy plan, something most Americans know much less about. The new wave of young Americans reading and watching the news is an indication of increased interest in understanding America's role in the world.
That more of the younger generations are interested in the news is heartening. It means that we are not ignoring our responsibility. What is important is to realize that that responsibility will not end when the war on terrorism does or when the Anthrax stops coming. We need to continue to flip away from ESPN and MTV to look at CNN every so often, or browse over to an online news source after checking our e-mail, so that we can keep track of what is going on in the rest of the world.
(Megan Moyer's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at mmoyer@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 22 hours agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | YesterdayAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | 6 days agoEvery student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
