Speech Taking Over The World

Our generation is classified as Generation Y, the Echo Boom, the Millennium generation, or the iGeneration. This classification implies that we grew up with many world-changing events, not only political but also technological. We are part of a generation of people that can recall the time before it was normal to have a desktop computer in one's home. I can remember my parents reading the newspaper every morning before I went to school. I can also remember when my parents did away with the tradition of sharing the morning paper, and began turning on the morning news shows such as Good Morning America and The Early Show. That transition, insignificant to me at the time, was part of a major alteration in society when speech became more prominent than writing.
There is no question that Michael Schudson was correct in his article, “The New Journalism,” when he proclaimed that the newspaper industry, during the time of Pulitzer and Hearst, was very much in charge of the news media. It is essential to realize that the newspaper era is a thing of the past. In modern society, while the power of written language is vast, the power of speech is stronger; it is more powerful, more personable, and therefore, more believable.
In the 2004 survey regarding the credibility of news sources, the lowest percentages were allotted to the written news media, whereas the highest percentages were awarded to 60 Minutes, a television news show that discusses important events that are plaguing and enriching the world. The other top rankings and percentages were given to television news stations such as CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS. This leads one to believe that more people turn to news media that involves speech for more reliable news. At the Pew Research Center, a study was conducted that resulted in 59 percent of the people-answering yes when asked if they believed their daily newspaper, as opposed to the 66 percent that answered yes when asked if they believed news stations such as NBC or CNN. While the percentage of people that believe their daily newspaper has dropped from 80 percent to 59 percent, the credibility percentages of news television programs, such as 60 Minutes, has not declined at all. Furthermore, a survey conducted in 2002 researching what form of media people believed had been covering the news the best, concluded that only 10 percent of the people responded with some form of newspaper as opposed to the 77 percent that answered some form of television news. Along with all of the statistical data to support the conclusion that speech is more prominent than writing, there are also theories as to why this stands true.
There is something more reassuring in seeing another person reading you information aloud that makes you really believe and trust the information that is being communicated. In most cases you can see emotions, hand gestures, and facial expressions; but if you cannot see them, you can at least hear the inflections and expressed emotions in their voice. These are qualities that you do not get when you are simply reading or writing. People can familiarize themselves with information more thoroughly when a person is saying it to them, as opposed to having to read what that person wrote.
September 11th was a catastrophic event that enabled the fact that people turned to the spoken news media before turning to the written news media to be revealed. An obvious reason for this would be that the television allows people to find out information, as it is happening, or at least very close to when it happens. The newspaper only comes once a day whereas television news media is brought to our living rooms at numerous times every day and night. I remember being in my 7th grade social studies class and watching the news on September 11th on the television in our classroom. Because many of my peers in my class had parents that worked in New York, they listened very intently on what the news anchor was saying. The television news showed videos or clips of what was happening during 9-11. People could actually see it in the action and with their own eyes instead of just seeing one image that could have been distorted.
Another, less exhausted example would be the presidential election. In 2000, the closest election in history had taken place. George Bush vs. Al Gore was a very intense and controversial time for politics. Every television station had news coverage on the election at all times. The newspaper could only give us information once a day. Although the television did keep going back and forth as to who was in the lead or who was the winner, it gave us the updates promptly.
The more years that go by, the more prominent speech becomes in society. Although there is writing in television news media, that is not the part that the viewing audience sees. In today’s society the public needs information promptly because of today's fast-paced world. Newspapers, however enjoyable they may be on a relaxing Sunday morning, are not what the public needs. The readiness of information on television news coverage is what we look for. It is easy to understand and easy to obtain. By October 2003, 50 percent of the people asked said that their main source of news was from newspapers. Although that is the highest percentage since 1996, it falls second to television news media. Although times have changed and the heartbeat of the world has quickened, the reliance on speech is a stagnant need that has proven firm over the years.