Progressive Era

        War in America has changed us deeply. When you turn on the news or open a computer you consistently see news of America being engaged in wars around the world. We have friends and family who join the army and fight for our country. Newspapers and media profit from the conflicts across the country because it creates fear, which the news tends to do these days. The websites Antiwar.com and AmericanConservative.com both offer strong antiwar articles and opinions. Why does mainstream media not cover this? Traditionally, the government had greater control over the media. With the advent of cable news networks and the internet, news went from once or twice a day to a constant twenty-four hour news cycle. Competition for viewership has never been so fierce. The first amendment gives all Americans freedom of speech but the media controls what we see. Media outlets make a tremendous profit from war coverage. According to this article, "The Fox News Channel (FNC) jumped from its usual one million-plus audience to five and a half million. CNN spiked to 3.3 million, while MSNBC more than doubled its audience to two million viewers." With an increase in viewership in war, comes an incentive to promote the conflicts not just with cable news outlets, but with all media.