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By SARAH HORNE Everyone has a different perspective of the news, one that is constantly changing with its evolving role and format. Here are a few Missouri residents’ answers to these questions: Are you getting what you need from the news? Do you see yourself in the news? What would you change about the news? Why is the news important to you, and what do you think the role of the media is? “I don’t see myself in the news, I don’t know why. I read sports, lifestyles, front page. I watch Channel 8 news and read the Columbia Tribune. I would say they do a good job with a lot of it, it’s just that a lot of times the news alerts other people to crime and then other people want to copycat them. The role of the news is to keep up with the country. Foreign countries I’m not really worried about except getting our troops home safe. I do try to keep up with what’s going on in foreign affairs. With coverage of the Iraq War, the media is doing a good job somewhat. I mean, there’s probably a lot they’re not telling us that we should know. The press ought to tell us what’s going on, go to other countries and tell us what they see, what they encounter. I also follow the presidential race. I don’t think the election coverage is biased. They seem to be trying to be fair, precise and interview various people.”
“I mostly skim through the news. I watch the Today Show and Inside Edition. I listen to Channel 17 for evening news and read the Sedalia Democrat and the Boonville Daily News. A lot of times they give you too few details. You never really get to hear about any of the good stuff that happens. Stories that I always read in the news are about child abuse and shootings. It is hard to understand how people can do these things, and then they don’t really get punished for it. I think a lot of times if the media didn’t cover this one, two, three days in a row, it may not carry over to the next one who thinks, ‘Well, they got that much coverage, so maybe I’ll get more.’ I would like to see more of people helping people, charities, anything where it’s not always so dreary. I like when they rescue the animals. I think the media should be an example of the consequences. They tell you what they did, but never the punishment. Now, I’m not saying that the media causes it, but a lot of times if they would say so-and-so did the crime and so-and-so is doing this for the punishment, it would make kids stop and think.”
“There’s so much that isn’t told. I believe media outlets have objectives. At times, definitely by the governments, I guess they’re afraid to be blackballed, for lack of a better word. I believe the government has indirect control over the media. There are certain things you can’t say; there are certain things people know you can’t say. We don’t get as much as we need. We need more independent news, the NPR kind of stuff. I would like to see that be more mainstream because especially with the cable news channels, you can distinguish that some are liberal and some are more conservative. I am a little more of a positive and optimistic person, and in general I like to focus more on positive things. The news tends to steer more towards the negative things happening in the world, especially to me more small, trite news stories about individuals committing actions, like the murders and stuff. They could focus a little more on the positive things happening in humanity, and hopefully that could trigger some aggressive action and some humanitarian kind of philanthropy. I would like to see more international news, but I don’t really know whose job that is. I would like to see more of our basic and premium channels do it, but I think it’s also up to individuals. I would like to see it more on TV because I think that’s the No. 1 place where people are getting information. I think the majority of people believe in truth, fairness, justice and equal opportunity. It would be the media’s job to tell the most pertinent, important stories in our society, whether it be the truth about ethanol, unemployment statistics or racial. Personally, I believe it’s every individual’s job to make this world a better place. I know that sounds cliché-ish, but I don’t see how it could be denied.”
“There are so many different sources; if you want entertainment news, you can go to People. By using a diversity of sources you can get what you need. I think I am represented by the news, whose role I think is to inform people of things that are going on. It is to let people know about things they are interested in. If it’s a political thing, information is important for people to be able to respond to vote accordingly. I’m not sure what I would change because most news tries to appeal to the viewers who are watching it. Let’s say, I’m not someone who watches FOX News, but those who are, watch it to get what they need. I don’t feel I would change anything because if one outlet isn’t what I want, I will go somewhere else. If one channel focuses too much on a lost cat, I wouldn’t change it because other people are watching that. It is the citizen’s role to seek the information that suits their needs.”
“I watch television because it is the most practical for me. I like Telemundo, Galavision, and Univision. I watch about equal news between Mexico and the U.S., but I am very interested in what is going on in the whole world. Generally, I get what I need from the news because I can get news from both countries. I watch a lot of news about political candidates and sports, like fútbol. I have family that lives in Mexico, and they watch news about Missouri. For example, last time they saw the news about the tornadoes and called me. I think the media helps connect people that are far away. The job of journalists is very important because they bring to light what is hidden. We are here in this country with the intent to work. There are people who don’t and come to commit crimes, and they are featured in the news. Our desire is to work, and that should also be shown. I think mostly Latinos in the U.S. are misrepresented. The media mostly sees all Latinos as immigrants.” [above interview was translated]
“I don’t really read the news. I read sports news on ESPN.com, and when I look for other news I go to CNN.com or the Chicago Tribune online. The only time I watch or read about the news is when I hear about something, and then I will look for it. I mainly read the news online because it is more convenient. You can read while you are doing something else. I work about four or five days a week until around 5 or 6 when I usually make dinner, read sports news and then go out or something. I kind of notice trends in the news. Like with FOX and CNN, they have different points of views politically. When I do read election coverage, it depends on the source, like I notice the bias with FOX News. I don’t think the general Americans would notice this. It’s very important for people to keep in touch with current events, but I guess my youth is what’s blocking my view to current events. I only hear about international news from my parents and their friends. You don’t really hear about Korean-Americans. You hear about South Korea and North Korea, but you don’t really hear much about Korean-Americans and how their life is different. There’s not enough Asian-American awareness in America. The news would be more interesting if there were creative ways to display it; more graphics, more interviews, more group discussions and more Stephen Colbert.”
“I used to read the papers when I lived in St. Louis because there were more stories of interest. I read the (St. Louis) Post-Dispatch almost every day. Now, I read it about three times a week, and I read the Columbia Daily Tribune once a week. There aren’t that many stories of interest. I read the career section and the job and apartment listings, columns and the main headlines. I don’t read any sports coverage, so I don’t know anything about that. The Columbia media does well, and now with the Warren Funeral Home coverage, they have been covering that real well. The funeral home did my mother’s funeral six years ago, so I’m really interested in the outcome. Other stories I have been really interested in were Hurricane Katrina and what happened in New Orleans, and then 9/11 because of all the people affected, left killed and homeless. I think there should be more coverage about what’s going in neighborhoods, like the inner-city neighborhoods. There should also be more than what’s just negative going on; I want to see more positive stories. I think the media’s job is to report accurate news.”
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Standing under the shade of the tree on a scorching 94-degree afternoon, Dennis Nowlin, 55, watches his granddaughter play in the lake at Stephens Lake Park. Nowlin was born and raised in Columbia and is retired from the military. Nowlin mostly watches local news on KOMU. He says he was raised on the Columbia Daily Tribune.
Linda Lane, 57, lives in Blackwater with her daughter and granddaughter. She grew up in Rockford, Ill., and moved to Arkansas as an adult because her sick father had always wanted to live there. After her parents died, she moved to Missouri to be with her sister-in-law. She doesn’t see herself in the news because she says what she sees is negative.
James Bowers, a tall man with an intense look and powerful way of speaking, reads a book where he can overlook people entering and leaving the library. Bowers gets his news from cable news, NPR, BBC online and sometimes television.
Sitting at a table with textbooks and notes spread out in front of her, Amanda Kofman, 24, sits in a corner where she can study quietly. Her head barely reaches the top of the chair that engulfs her petite frame. She doesn’t have a television and gets her news online at CNN.com, the Columbia Daily Tribune and a variety of other sources. This morning, for example, she read Al Jazeera online because she wanted to see how it was different from U.S. news sources.
As the “preparador” for El Rancho on Broadway, Jesús Ramírez Calvo, 31, helps prepare the food. He has been working for the restaurant for about four years after arriving from Chiapas, Mexico. Most of his family lives in Mexico. Ramírez Calvo says he would like to be trusted to work in this country. 
Standing outside the Route 66 gas station on Rogers Street, Carolyn Jackson, 36, says she reads a newspaper a few times a week. She is originally from St. Louis. For the past 12 years she has been traveling between St. Louis and Columbia, “living off and on” in the gateway city. She is a housekeeper at Hampton Inn.