International Opinions of U.S. Media

I interviewed international student Sakshi from Delhi, India. When asked if the United States media was different from India’s media, Sakshi responded saying, “No not really, we have the news over in India, the only thing that is different in the United States is that the media is independent from the government.” I questioned her on that response and asked her to elaborate more on her answer. She instructed me that India has both government owned news channels and private owned news channels. As you can guess the private owned news channels are independent from the government. She also informed me that India’s media is very strong, just like the United States. In fact the first thing she noticed about the United States media is that it is very effective and very easy to reach. But having the United States media easy to reach isn’t always a good thing. Through the eyes of Sakshi and other international students, Americans take advantage of the United States media. I believe this to be true because I too take advantage of the media that surrounds me because I know I can get the media whenever I wish just by pushing a few buttons or hitting a few keys. By the end of the interview Sakshi wanted to make an important note on the many stereotypes the United States has. She wanted to let the American public know that the way Indian’s are associated with the dot on their foreheads is not a correct image of the India’s general public and she doesn’t not like the way Russian’s are associated with drinking and vodka. She says, “It is the duty of the media to take care of the stereotypes.” I really learned a lot about Sakshi’s country and their media but what surprised me the most was Sakshi’s last statement. I’ve always heard stereotypes of all races but never thought about them much but now I see that it hurts and the media really should take care of the stereotypes.