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Cassandra C. Sanchez
Professor Vana Derohanessian
English 114b
08 May 2014
Media only sharing Biased News
Television and media have often been projected as a good thing. It was technology at its
finest. Media plays a huge benefactor to the reason why people act or felt about certain
situations. Media involving the newspaper and television news has had a vast impact on the way
society views things; this can be seen in the graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
very own Gotham City. Gotham shows exactly how extremely the citizens minds can be
persuaded through news and broadcast media in this graphic novel. While Batman is hated for
doing morally just things, he is shunned from the world and considered as crazy. It is unjust that
the media Batman: The Dark Knight Returns looks down upon Batman because he is different
and cannot be labeled in the typical categories. Batman is judged poorly through the media
which is then spread to the people of Gotham, which just keeps the ongoing of the horrible
rumors of Batman whether it is biased or unfair for him to be judged for one thing. This happens
in real life too. One day, the world will need to think of the two sides of the story because media
can only show one. The people of Gotham show medias influences in our society and how it
makes us turn against people displayed through media such as celebrities.
Televisions are important because of its ability to spread news around the world at a very
fast pace. News programs were ways of informing the public of crucial events happening in that
moment. News reports played an important role of sharing local news, but maybe not in a
perspective fair enough to express everyones feelings towards the matter, In the past, the media
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scene was easy to control, and dominating it was achievable either by controlling it through
decisions. (Asharq 1) Asharq is an opinion piece writer, but he supports the idea broadcast
Media such as television news or radio can have a controlling attribute on the minds of the
people. This article points out another interesting statement that, there are also those who are
only interested in informing and impacting public opinion without any professional rules or
ethics and without an understanding of the difference between integrity and falsification.
(Asharq 2) Research has shown how people want to control media and only care about
expressing their opinion rather than the professional truth of sharing the news. So whos to say
who really cares about the news being informed to the public without prejudice? News reporters
and people like Dr. Wolper in the graphic novel by Miller are key examples to this statement and
how people just want their opinion to be shared, rather than expressing the full on truth. In
addition, influence of individuals minds can be specifically shown in the Batman: Batman: The
Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.
In the TDKR, the television reports of Batman in Gotham City were neutral since, Police
commissioner James Gordon was still in charge. Although Batman was different and could not
be compared to a typical man, , which is scary and threatening to most, Gordon trusted him
because he knew that even is he approached crimes in an unorthodox manner, Batman always
did whatever he needed to do in order to maintain justice. It wasnt until Gordons retirement
that a new police commissioner named EllenYindal, the new spokesperson for crime. The start of
Yindals career was the start of a new reign of horrible events and gossip to be spread about
Batman. Media turns their backs on Batman. Yindal believed Batman was a menace, so he let
this idea spread out to the media that he is basically a villain and should not be allowed to break
the laws. There was also a man name Dr. Bartholomew Wolper, a leading expert of sociology
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who critiques and only says biased things about batman making him look like the bad guy to the
public. In Millers novel, it states that Batman is a menace to society [he is] personally
responsible for every human being murdered by this gang (113). Hearing this news was
irritating and shocking. Dr. Wolper cannot blame Batman or any man of being responsible for
the actions of other people who are claimed to be psychotic. First of all Batman, has been trying
to bring this group down since the beginning, and ever since Batman has come back, the crime
rate has gone down. Dr. Wolper is only judging Batman so cruelly because he cant label or
narrow him to the everyday norms. Batman fights for justice, but since it is in a diverse way than
what Gotham is used to, Dr. Wolper automatically assumes Batman is crazy and should be put
behind bars. And since he is a Dr., most public view will agree with Wolpers views since most
people are naive to the whole story and the truth of Batman. Dr. Wolper may be fooling the
clueless minds that believe all media programs are the truth by making Batman sound horrible,
without highlighting or mention the good Batman does also. But thankfully, not everyone gave
up hope on Batman.
In relation to Batmans approach to media in Gotham City, it can also be seen in real life
situations. In some similarities, a famous actress such as Brittney Spears can be related to the
way broadcast and news media have harshly judged and constantly pushed bad media at their
faces, whether it be true or not. There are always two sides to the story and media rarely gets
both of them. In relation to Brittney, she too was considered to be okay or decently viewed in the
media , but ever since one slip up or one rumor, it all went downhill. Most people may disagree
with these ideas of Brittney Spears and say she was flat out crazy and un-controllable, but she
wasnt always like that. According to Vicky Allan, a writer for the Sunday Herald in the UK, he
discovered that the only side Media ever showed of Britney as a drinking, parting, overtly
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sexual female celebrity [as a] Train Wreck (Allan 3). Sadly, Brittney is constantly put down
in public media, making it impossible for society to picture her as anything else other than a
failure. Plus with this bad reputation, it gives her the disadvantage of restarting and forgetting of
her past to start a new life, if she wanted to. Media plays too strong of a role in affecting
individuals minds and judgments over situations. News is very biased and even when stated
with proof that their ideas are wrong, people still ignore or cannot face the truth. For example, in
the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns a scene of news report discussing Batmans actions and its
effects on the citizens of Gotham. The news reporter asks Dr. Wolper, You have claimed that
the Batman is himself responsible for the crimes he fights. Still, crime rates have shown a steady
drop in the weeks since his return. How do you explain this?(Miller et. all. 65) and Dr. Wolper
answered by making up this long confusing talk about membranes which wasnt even relevant to
sum up to the statement that Batman is a disease (Miller et. all. 66) So even though the facts
show that Batman is reducing crime, people like Dr. Wolper are so judgmental to a point that
reality is whatever they judge as true, not what statistics is. Relating back to the whole Brittney
discussion, medias cruel judgment of her really ruined her opportunity to get better, what some
people didnt realize that behind that scandal and rumors was a human, just like Batman is a
human. Since Brittney started off as a cheery icon of all-American virginity, albeit with an
innocently slutty edge, she is a prime target for fears and accusations. (Allan 4) Media
desperately looks for popular people such as Batman and Brittney to pick on. News media loves
to stir up the drama and attack these famous people with media. Batman has a side to his logic of
why he does what he does in order to save Gotham City, and why he does it, is because he
believes Gotham City still needs him. Batman story involves justice and moral rights, but sadly
media doesnt see or understand that side due to the horrible rumors that Dr. Wolper says about
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him.
Nevertheless, no matter how Batmans story is retold through movies, television shows,
or graphic novels, in the end, we all know Batman is a hero. This novel shows the negative
opinions that Batman faces by his peers through the power of media. Media is a harsh business
that tends to bully the most famous and popular people in the world. Media forgets that the
people they spread harsh opinions about are humans and that their life is affected by the silly
opinions that a single individual may post through media or in the news. The power of Media in
its controlling factors to peoples ideas play a huge role, and this can be frequently shown in the
graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and through certain attributes of famous people
today.













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Works Cited
Allan, V. (2008, Nov 23). What made Britney go to pieces? From child star to broken woman:
the Toxic tale of a singers undoing and her latest Bid to regain control. Sunday Herald.
Asharq Al - Awsat, (2014): "Opinion: Controlling the Media Scene." Bergamo. "Media:
Miller, Frank, et al. Batman: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. 1986. Absolute Dark Knight
Edition. New York: DC Comics, 2006.