If you had to label this past decade as an age of “something,” what would you say? It’s difficult to pinpoint a single word for describing such a long period of time, but what was the driving force which shaped our nation to become what it is today?

The answer to this question will vary from person to person and no answer is entirely correct. Some might say technological advancement. Others might suggest that it was an age of big business or materialism.

Not everyone will agree on the answer, and not everyone is supposed to. One of the finest aspects of being an American is freedom of expression or the right to voice an opinion no matter how liberal, conservative, or middle-of-the-road it is.

One answer I find intriguing is “media.” It has been an “age of media.” Now, whether you agree or disagree, you have every right to do so for whatever reason you wish. That’s how it works.

These editorial pages present the opinions of various people. It is not a news section. It is not meant to be objective, but rather subjective. The columns are supposed to present one side of an issue—the side which the writer supports, and the letters to the editor are meant to do the same.

Though editorial commentary is only one part of the media, it plays an important role in providing an avenue for the expression of many contrasting and controversial opinions.

People should be more informed on both sides of news issues before they even look at the editorials. Then, they should realize that the editorial comment is not, and is not supposed to be, a “fact.”

News media tends to receive a lot of negative response to the work it does, but it has an importance in society and it’s existence is crucial to everything.

It has been called the root of all evil by some. They say it distorts events and issues in a way to control society’s opinions, but that’s not a clear picture either.

News media is one of man’s greatest inventions. Everyday it provides newspaper, radio, and TV reports to anyone who is interested in learning more about their community, reading up on an issue, or gaining valuable information on current events.

It exposes everything exposable—both positive and negative. Being the busy, modern society which we are, we need the media to open the book for us and show us what is really happening out there.

Every day of the year, the media successfully completes its duty to the public by offering it a dose of reality. Racism, murder, drug busts, embezzlement and airline accidents are all typical tragedies which can be found in a media report.

Sadly enough, our society needs to be constantly updated and thoroughly informed about atrocities, because, for most of us, it’s for our own good.

We would all like to pretend that certain incidences didn’t happen, but if they’re not reported on thoroughly that doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. All it means is that they happened and we don’t know a thing about them. Most would refer to that as plain ignorance.