Dexter TaylorDr. Bryan GervaisIntroduction to American Government4/7/14Mass Media and an Enlightened PublicFor several decades, the media has often provided a comprehensive platform that enhances public enlightenment. Even in contemporary society, the role of the media remains a noble path that deserves to be supported. In fact, the media is now considered the fourth branch of government charged with upholding the people's right to information. It is imperative to note that the media's role in informing the public is compromised by a broader set of constraints. Often, these constraints are concentrated in internal and external media environments (Lidsky & Wright 10). While it is true that these constraints have a relatively similar influence on the media's ability to enlighten the public, there are specific constraints whose influence is colossal. Based on personal thought, the main obstacle in today's media environment that poses a great obstacle to media enlightenment is the lack of serious media coverage. Lack of serious media coverage as an obstacle in the contemporary media environment refers to cases in which the media lack the capacity to establish and maintain serious reporting in print, audio and visual media. Due to this, various media platforms have failed to offer adequate information to the public. Thus, the role of the media in enlightening the public has been compromised by its inability to provide serious reporting that can benefit the public. There is a wider range of issues in the contemporary media environment that reduce influence on the media's ability to establish and maintain...... middle of paper ...... observed seriousness in in both cases, they would have reported information that was true; therefore, enlightening the public about the real events. According to this analysis, the lack of serious reporting is a barrier in today's media environment that hinders the media's ability to enlighten the public. There is no doubt that the lack of serious media coverage occurs in cases where various media outlets arise and compete for markets. The emergence of a large number of media reduces the quality of information transmitted to the public. Precisely, media flooding results in a “dumbing down” of media reporting such as news (Lidsky & Wright 9). Such cases are evident in contemporary society where various media platforms, particularly televisions, which tend to focus on crime reporting and entertainment at the expense of vital information affecting populations..