"The Bias of Language, The Bias of Pictures"

In this essay Postman and Powers describe the difference in pictures, motion pictures, and language. They put into perspective that news anchors on television sometimes put there on twist on the news. No two anchors describe the same event with the same words, so as viewers we may not ever get the true story of what is happening around us.  Postman and Powers explain "that pictures, especially single pictures speak only in particularities." (postman and power 485).  "Unlike words and sentences, a picture does not present to us an idea or concept about the world, except as we use language itself to convert the image to idea." (postman and power 485). A motion pictures can express emotion and meaning in the picture.  You can understand what is going on at the motion.  I motion picture with sound explains where the event is happening and at what time.  A motion picture will most likely keep your attention, then just a picture or just language.  Postman and Power suggest that the new picks and choices what they feel is entertaining to viewers and not what is important.  A newspaper does not use pictures and motion pictures to get a point across.  The articles are real and full of information that every individual can read and understand.  "The fact that television news is principally made up of moving pictures prevents it from offering lengthy, coherent explanations of events" (postman and power 489).

Gray-Rosendale, L. (2008) Pop Perspectives. Readings in Critique Contemporary Culture. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc