The Role of The Media in Dissemination of Information

The local newspaper continues to play a vital role in the dissemination of information to the public in the contemporary information age. While electronic media takes the different forms such as television, online, print, or even social media, it plays a significant role in influencing people minds. With the advent of better ways to pass information, there has been a sudden surge in digital media content and access, and this has made information more available to people more than any time in the human history (Flanagin and Metzger). In spite of the positive effects of media as it helps create awareness among the people faster by creating social awareness of certain vices such as AIDS and child abuse, it also has adverse effects as it can assist in the spread of fake news. With the technological advancements seen in the modern set up, it has made it possible to bring the various forms of electronic media to our workplaces and homes through the click of a button and as such various government agencies can communicate effectively to their citizens (Flanagin and Metzger). The role of this paper, therefore, will be to highlight an article that was posted on an online platform to give information about the City of Naperville about their public safety. In the online platform by the name Chicago Tribune, the City of Naperville made the public aware that the Naperville Crime Stoppers was giving an award to any person that would provide information leading to the arrest of people responsible for the theft and the unlawful use of a credit card.   

The Chicago Tribune is an online publication that majors in the provision of information either in the form of books and online print and it conforms to the professional code of ethics required in their operations. With many years of experience in this field, all the visitors to their site can be assured that the information they find is authentic and is thus based on integrity, fairness, equality, and social responsibility.

Timing and the Dissemination of the Press Release

The timing of the release of the information to the public was on point. However, although a community contributor posted the news on Chicago Tribune in the Chicago Tribune, we have the community contributors who share photos, articles, announcements, and local events to share with their readers and this content is posted for free through the Chicago Tribune publishing tools. The City of Naperville crime stoppers then took it upon themselves by offering a reward of $1000 to any person that could give information to arrest of the culprits.  On May 3rd, 2018, three suspects entered an employee break down in the Petco store located at 348 S (“Crime Stoppers Reward”). Route 59 and while there they stole the victim’s credit card, a Visa gift card, and some cash. One of the suspects only identified as suspect one then used the credit card at the Speedway gas station at the intersection of Ogden and Aurora avenues in Naperville. Further, they also used the credit card at the Speedway gas station in Burr Ridge (”Crime Stoppers Reward”). All the three suspects were later seen driving in a red four-door vehicle, and as per the information on the online tabloid, had a person witnessed any of the above incidents, they were required to give information to the crime stoppers.

The Role of the Media in the Dissemination of the Press Release

The media played a pivotal role in the dissemination of the information. Most often, the majority of the public is ignorant of the daily occurrences in their cities, and this is unless a police officer shows up their doorstep requesting information about a particular criminal. While all the citizens of Naperville are aware of the presence of Naperville Crime stoppers the majority are not aware of their contacts in case they want to report a misdemeanor. Often a burglary can occur in a given area, and since the victims do not know of the presence of Naperville Crime Stoppers, then there is the need for them to understand how the systems at their city work and the easiest way to access them. The release of this article by the Chicago Tribune came in handy in giving an avenue for the apprehension of the suspects and also making the public aware of the various venues available to forward any of their issues.

Key Interest Groups and Their Agendas

One of the significant key groups in this press release was first and foremost the citizens of this city. Indeed, the article’s principal aim was to inform the major stakeholders in the town, and this included the citizens on the best way to report the suspects and the presence of a bounty. Further, some citizens might have lacked prior knowledge of the existence of the Naperville Crime Stoppers, and thus the article was informative. While the article adopted a persuasive and informative stance, it passed the information to all the people that could lead to the immediate arrest of the culprits.

Venues for Delivery and the Effect the Release

Some of the major venues for the press release include the article and the online post from the Chicago Tribune and other social media platforms, and this can guarantee that the information reaches to as many people as possible. Once the Naperville Crime Stoppers gave the go-ahead to publish the story, the majority of the online tabloids picked up the story and came up with similar posts on their platforms. The reports by the different platforms made the information more effective and reach a bigger audience.

Pros and Cons of Public Relations

Some of the advantages of public relations are that the audiences are more likely to trust the messages that come from an objective source rather than the paid-for advertising messages. Such influence is the most effective and credible forms of promotion, and it is very persuasive (Flanagin and Metzger). In our case, for example, the story was picked up by several other outlets, and this exposed the message to a broader audience. On the other hand, some of the downsides of public relations include that while it is possible to count the media houses that have published the story, often it’s harder to determine the impact this story has on the audience.

Conclusion

In the modern society, no one can deny the role of the media in helping people to remain informed and updated about the various news, events, social activities, entertainment, and lifestyle. The mass media has had a profound impact on the societies and their cultures, and it ceases the boundaries of different societies thereby creating globalization. In our case above, the mass media led to a large number of people receiving the information about the runway suspects

Works Cited

”Crime Stoppers Reward Offered In Theft And Unlawful Use Of Credit Card.” Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 2 June 2018.

Flanagin, Andrew J., and Miriam J. Metzger. ”Digital media and youth: Unparalleled opportunity and unprecedented responsibility.” Digital media, youth, and credibility (2008): 5-27. 10.1162/dmal.9780262562324.005

Works Cited