International Media Communication Research Paper

International Media Communication - Research Paper Example With the free flow of information in the international arena, where the participants in the other countries now possess better accessibility to the facts and issues faced by the neighboring countries, the international media communication channels such as the news media are often criticized of being influenced by the socio-cultural and political biases or else raising the risk of ‘false consciousness’ and even ‘racial stereotyping’ (Barnhurst, 2005; Media Monitoring Project, 1999). Based on these aspects, the discussion henceforth will intend to illustrate and critically review two news stories presented from distinct ideologies by two international media channels, the Fox News of the United States and The Guardian of the United Kingdom. The stories have been selected based on the same issue, the recent support of President Mr. Barack Obama of same-sex marriages in the United States. Background of the Story: President Obama’s Support of Same-Sex Marri age Same-sex marriages have long been under critical scrutiny by social and political institutions in the United States. Even though six states of the geopolitical region of the United States, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York, have legally permitted the performance of same-sex marriages, the federal law yet restricts the act to be accredited openly in the American society. Apparently, the depiction of agreeability or vice-versa of the legal approval for same-sex marriages has emerged to be a base for distinction between social groups. In the social context of America, the polarization based on same-sex marriage accreditations has been apparent since the implementation of the policy measure â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† by the former President Mr. Bill Clinton in the year 1992. This policy measure placed emphasis on restricting the open depiction of homosexual behavior, especially within the military base (Singer, 2008). This polar ization in the American society has become more perceptible with the statement in favor of homosexual marriages made by the President Obama to the ABC News. In his words, â€Å"...I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married† (Klein, 2012). This particular appraisal by the current President of the United States attracted a mass attention not only in the national context but also from the international horizon, making an obvious presence in the international media channels. Recently, after being aired in the news media, the support of Mr. Barack Obama came reverberating in the Fox News as well as in The Guardian, the former being a renowned tabloid in the United States and the latter in the United Kingdom. However, in both the narratives a distinct ideology can be examined in the course of illustrating the statements connoted by the American President. Where the narra tion or the story portrayed by the Fox News can be identified as highly