Communications and Media

The New York Times article entitled Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right is an article that sheds light on what an increasing number of the American society has deemed to be very important  a thorough insight about what the Tea Party Movement is all about.  For those people who agree on what the people who belong in this movement stand for, this article makes it easy for them to give their consensus as to why previously non-partisan members of the American society has grown keen on defying the present administration under Barack Obama.  On the other hand, there are also those people who are on the side of the incumbent who would most probably shrug off this article, citing that what this article contains is merely biased and unjust.

Fairness and Balance as Important Elements of Journalism
By all means, the media has a powerful effect on the people.  What we have to understand, then, is that not everything that is provided for us by the media is true and accurate.  There is also the need to be critical of the information that we receive from the media.  That said let us now take a look at the source of this news text.

First of all, what we need to be reminded of is that this article is written by David T. Barstow, a renowned journalist who has been excelling in the field of investigative journalism.  Investigative journalism is a field of journalism that deals with systematic research, substantial and qualitative interviews, and impeccable knowledge of journalism rules.  The responsibilities of those people who are adept at this type of journalism are to probe deeper into the status quo.  By reading this article about the Tea Party Movement in a journalistic point of view, you would realize that the article is thoroughly researched.  Mr. Barstow has even cited several sources, which works well in strengthening the key points of what this article wants to convey  that indeed, there is pubic unrest which has taken root from the peoples discontent with the current US government, under Mr. Obama.  However, it can also be noted that the sources cited in this article are mostly from the side of the tea party movements supporters.  This creates a notion that the article has a bias for the right-wing extremists because it does not delve on the other side of the spectrum  the side of the Americans who puts high regards for the people who agree on what Mr. Obama has been doing for his people.  Due to the fact that the person who wrote this article is once acclaimed as a winner of the Pulitzer and has been practicing Investigative Journalism as a profession, it is evident that he is adept at the rules of journalism as well as in the standards of media ethics.  By deciding not to cite the perspectives of those people who believe that the Tea Party Movement is wreaking havoc in the American society, a notion that Mr. Barstow is siding with the right-wing extremists is created.  Of course, this is perfectly understandable because journalists and even media owners have their own biases and these biases are reflected on the news articles that they write or publish in the media organizations that they belong to.  All political news is delivered to the public through media intermediaries  journalists and media owners  and they have their own biases and agendas.  (Jackson, R.J.  Jackson, D., 1997).

This explains the reason behind the tone and writing style of this article, which is ultimately on the side of the Tea Party Movement.
A Thorough Look at Social and Economic Factors

Several parts of this article made mention of a retired woman of 66.  According to the text, the said woman never used to engage in politics she only went out of her way to participate in the Tea Party Movement when the recession swept the country and her family experienced difficulties.  On the last part of the article, it can be noted that her husband has the same stand that she has taken with regards to the Tea Party Movement.  Accordingly, political ideologies within the family are shaped by the family members.  The family is an important socializing agent.  It can even be instrumental in instilling political loyalty. (Jackson, R.J.  Jackson, D., 1997).  This point is vital in noting that the current economic status of a family has an effect on how the members of that familys perception on social movements would be.  A state or a government that is able to take care of its people would not be threatened by public unrest in the likes of rallies, demonstrations and gatherings of groups who are eager to overthrow the people in power.  However, if the government fails to tend to the needs of the people, the people would look for other means to protect their best interests even if that means that they have to be vigilant in defying the present government.

Thus we say that there is an interconnection between economic factors and social factors when it comes to public unrest.  Indeed, a group of people who are unhappy about the state of their economic affairs would push for change.  In instances where it is not possible to push through with that change through political reforms because of the complexities entailed in these reforms, the transformation can transpire through social movements.  This is evidently what has become the case in the lives of those people cited in the article Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right  all of whom were ardent supporters of the Tea Party Movement.

A famous Florentine nobleman, Niccolo Machiavelli alludes to the probability that the groups who are discontented with their leader may opt to conspire with one another.  True enough previous experience shows that there have been very many conspiracies.  Although only a handful of these conspiracies have turned out well, the point still stands.  Discontented groups may indeed seek support from one another.

By reading the article Tea Party Lights Fuse for Rebellion on Right more closely, it would become noticeable that there are many groups like the Tea Party Movement in the United States groups that are also battling from the political agendas set by Mr. Obama.  With the integration of these groups, there would be more forms of machinery for them to stage a successful rebellion.

A Glimpse at the Political Context
The public unrest that is depicted in the article feeds on the peoples fear of tyranny.  As we all know, a tyrannical government will not do good for the country and for the people.  Instead, it would only result in chaos and political turbulence.  For the longest time, we have seen that left-wing radicals have initiated uprisings and these have paved way to more positive changes in the democratic ruling of the state.  At this point, it seems that the tables have turned.  It is no longer the left-wing radicals who are actively opposing the government rather, it is those people from the right-wing who are pushing for drastic change.

One of the top priorities of the Tea Party Movement is to put a stop to the healthcare reforms that are being pushed by Mr. Obama.  As Mr. Obama goes nearer to achieving his goal, the people who do not want this change to take place, such as those people from the Tea Party Movement, are strengthening their group by making allies and affiliations with other groups, in the hope that together, they can be able to resist the reforms that Mr. Obama intends.  Niccolo Machiavelli believes that it is possible for discontented groups of people to form a coalition against the government if they are not happy with how their ruler is leading the nation.  He further delves into the situation by adding that one of the most potent remedies against a conspiracy is not to be hated by the mass of the people.  In the case of Mr. Obama, the healthcare reforms that he wants to instigate would result in adding up to some of the peoples dissatisfaction.  This tells us that public unrest stems not only from social and economic factors rather, it also takes root when political machineries threaten what the people perceive as their security, stability and welfare.

On Le Monde
The power of globalization is vast.  It does not simply stop at aspects of consumerism.  In fact, even journalism is affected by globalization.  The media is expanding in terms of audience reach and content.  Because of the growing number of people who are concerned about the social, economic and political plight pf other states, it became necessary for media organizations to cover important stories and events about other nations.

As one of the more influential nations in the international community, the affairs of the United States of America is an important concern for many people, regardless of religion, race and culture.  The international media entity Le Monde is among those media organizations that are likely to feature the Tea Party Movement because it is a growing movement that deserves media attention.  Moreover, the growth of communications technology in recent decades has dramatically increased the impact of the mass media on the political cultures of states (Jackson, R.J.  Jackson, D., 1997).

Should Le Monde come up with a story that features the Tea Party Movement, their approach to that story would largely depend on who they assign the story to.  The person who would be tasked to write the story would have the option to feature the Tea party Movement objectively.  He or she may also opt to write the story using the standpoint of a left-wing radical or a right-wing extremist.  In the end, it is still the reader who would think critically before believing in what he or she would read in the newspapers.