Sociology

Despite the great acknowledgement and weight on the significance of the media when it comes to influencing the opinion and perspective of the public in relation to drugs and drug use, very little research has been accomplished when it comes to the nature and extent of their influence. It is not unknown to many that the mass media plays a very crucial role in the construction of reality in the eyes of the people because the knowledge of almost all social events can be obtained only through media. Due to this overwhelming impact, the implications as well as the nature of the medias portrayal of drugs and drug users deserve to have a second look especially nowadays when drug use is regarded as a persisting problem that needs to be addressed.

The term  mass media  simply denotes all types of information relayed to a large group of people. There is no criterion for how many people must be reached before the communication becomes labelled as mass communication, and there are also no limitations on the types of information presented. In common parlance, media refers to a group of entities such as publishers, journalists, and others that consider  communication as their profession. This definition includes the entertainment as well as the news industries. Not only do they report the news, but they also create it by making a decision on what to report. This important decision makes them crucial in resolving conflicts because they are the leading source of information of many people. When something does not make the news, it means that it does not exist for many people. Conflicts attract viewers like moths to a flame. The bigger the conflict is, the bigger the audience will be, and large audience dictates the success of the media.

Mass media saturates the world today. The television in the living room, the newspaper and magazines in the coffee table, the radio in the car, and the computer in the bedroom and the office are but few of the numerous avenues for communication. Contrary to the common belief of many young people today, the media exists not only to entertain the audience. Its main purpose is to inform the people of what is happening in the society, to determine political agenda, and to provide a forum for communication.

One issue that has been in the centre of many debates and controversies is the issue that tackles drugs. Drugs and drug use have been the highlight of many news, entertainment, and print media because of their destructive and addictive effects to people from all ages. As the watchdog of the public, it is the duty of the media to give a report on the pressing concerns of the society today such as the worsening drug problems.

Formulating drug prevention strategies through the media is a very challenging task. It is even quite ironic that at times, the media reports promote the behaviour that they aim to prevent. Like many individuals, the drug users watch television, surf the net, and read the newspapers everyday, and by having access to these media outlets, they tend to learn more about new dealings. Many have long suspected that the news reports about where and how to buy different types of drugs serve as a free advertisement for those who are engaged in this kind of activity. Journalists, broadcasters, and other people who work for the media must come to a realization that they have an ethical responsibility for the effects of their reporting styles more, particularly when it comes to advertising the locations of where certain drugs may be bought. The media reporting of details like the time, price, and location of illegal drugs has grave implications for public health and safety. Some suggested that the detailed reports of overdose may heighten further tendencies of overdose by giving information about the source of the illegal drugs.

Another typical example of how the media dictates the perception of the people can be seen in the way they deal with celebrities. A study examined more than a hundred television and print articles about popular celebrities and their drunk driving. Most of the details of the stories focus on the prison time and the damage of the event to the career of the said celebrities, and even though there are many chances to mention the health consequences drug abuse, only a few articles did (eDrugRehab.com, 2009). This just goes to show that stories about drug users do not put a fright in the hearts of young people instead, there are pieces of evidence that suggest that it generates opposite results. Research shows that the popularity given to ecstasy encouraged teenagers more to switch their drugs from ecstasy to cocaine, which is a drug that is known to be more harmful. The scare stories about drugs and its use may also cause parents to panic and react in a way that drives the children away from help.

Even the popular series entitled House is one of the examples of how the media contradicts itself by promoting drug use. Dr. House is greatly addicted to a painkiller named Vicodin. The viewers fail to realize that the abuse of this drug may lead to destructive health consequences for the addict such as permanent deafness, but unfortunately, they are blinded by the charm and humour of this witty doctor, so they cannot see the damning effects of his addiction.

Whether it is in the aspect of drugs, drug abuse, or other social issues, the media has a great tendency, be it intentional or not, to exaggerate and sensationalise events that are isolated in order to encourage and mould the perception of the public about a particular topic when in truth and in fact, the situation is not as grave as they say it is. Despite the glamorous presentation of the media, drug addiction is devastating not only for the addicts but for their families as well. From the point of view of the media, their news has to sell because of the pressure coming from their CEOs to generate a big return on their investments. This is not to say that every information coming from them is tainted. Without the existence of the mass communication outlets, the world would be lost in translation as to what is happening both locally and internationally. There is no better way to spread any information quickly than to use any type of media.

Thus, while the media hype about drug abuse definitely sells the newspapers, this kind of reporting is definitely dangerous. For one, drug scares that blame the immorality and the behaviour of the people for the many problems can divert the attention as well as the resources of the government from even bigger crises. In cases where no distinction is made as to those with problems and those who are the problems themselves, there is a great chance for the victims of social injustice to be blamed. Another example of media exaggeration is the racial statistics of the actual drug users, who are mainly white, and the racial statistics of those portrayed to have been using these drugs, who are mainly the African Americans.

I agree with the observation of many people that the reason behind these portrayals is that sensationalised stories are the highlight of the medias successful career. The nature of their work creates an intense pressure on the journalists to make sure that their style and manner of reporting attract plenty of attention in order to pay for their advertisements. A certain amount of distortion and bias cannot be avoided in journalism, but oftentimes, this is the very fact that defeats the purpose of the medias existence which is to aid the journalists in accurate reporting and not to censure or downplay the devastating effects of drugs.

The ratio of the articles that cite research findings is becoming smaller and smaller. This fact clearly paves the way for the researchers who study and publish works on some aspects of crime to take the place of the media as a more credible source of information. Reports show that the media uses several resources. For instance, 865 articles used about 1,238 sources. The primary sources of details were the police and the courts. When the officials such as the police, politicians, and local government are named as the  official sources,  they, in fact, form three quarters of the entire sources. Research was also able to show that there is a close relationship between the crime reporters and their sources. The concern about drugs and its usage seem to have heightened nowadays, and it can be observed that the perception about the drugs and its usage have changed over the years.
 
An analysis of media clippings and other resources lead many to conclude that the media needs to enact more stringent and formal guidelines when it comes to making reports about crime and drugs. These new policies will discourage journalists to avoid sensationalising and sugar-coating their reports. This is extremely important due to the fact that even though the policy developments are constrained by the opinion of the public, the media may not change their own opinion and by doing so, they set the very agenda and parameters of many controversial issues. The way in which the media portrays drugs and drug users has very huge policy ramifications because media is the number one source of information on the subjects outside the scope of human experience.

Deciding what the news will be is a crucial judgement that depends solely on the journalists discretion and this is where the discussion of responsible journalism comes in. The men behind the media must not abuse the protection given by the First Amendment of the Constitution to work for their own benefit. The freedom of speech and expression gives them the leeway to express and air their sentiments, but it is not without limitation.

Information that tends to be misleading may cause far more damage than help by making the problems worse. In contrast, accurate reporting has the opportunity to make a difference for the better. Responsible media and journalism must aim to explore the deeper issues behind every conflict in order to give the public a more accurate and valuable information as to what a conflict is all about. This change cannot be done overnight. It requires a lot of dedication and commitment from the people behind the stories. Drug usage is not a joke that must be treated lightly. This destructive habit has already destroyed a lot of families and killed millions of people. What Dr. House and the other celebrities are displaying in front of the camera does not even touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effects of drug abuse, and it would do well for everybody if the media played their part in disseminating the dark side effects of this nasty habit without sugar-coating anything. The truth is sometimes harder to accept, but if drugs come into the scenario, one is better off knowing the truth right away than losing his or her life to them without knowing the reality behind them all.