Is the Mass Media asquerading as the new Entertainment Religion?

Tryggvi Franklin Hakonarson

University of Iceland

Although the fields of media and religion are major shaping forces in western cultural
history, they have apparently lived in splendid isolation from each other. This lack of
dialogue is somewhat interesting bearing in mind that the historic religious
undercurrent has never been eliminated from media studies. Indeed, as Hoover
points out: “Religion has always been problematic for the media”. Not surprisingly,
since the conversation between religion and the public has largely broken down.

In the old, old, ancient days however, the temple-priests acted as the “experts” the
mythical mediators, whose role was to make sense of this chaotic word we live in.
That is to say occupying themselves with what journalists do today, which then begs
the question if the mass media has taken over this religious role, masquerading as
the new shocking entertainment religion?

At some point this question needs to be addressed because the media like religion is
apparently spellbound with meaning making, intervening in history if not vigorously
shaping the ultimate truth, influencing ideas about religion and thrusting them upon
the public.

Further, the Icelandic sociologist and media analyst Thorbjörn Broddason expresses
the view that there is a sacred characteristic to all true professions, i.e. priests,
doctors and increasingly journalists.

Broddason´s assumptions might serve as a launch pad in addressing the role of

media and religion in a sociological context and compel the question if the mass
media has, at least to some extent, replaced traditional religion and older forms of
religiosity.

Altrurism or anomie.
In our age of uncertainty, televangelists and journalists are all too willing to make
sense of this all. Thrusting their meanings and phony ideas upon their audience. The
former scaring with Hell and the latter with entertainment formatted horror news.
Seemingly both have invested interest in creating and mediating their own sacred

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reality, often shaped by fear, which is ironic and of interest, at least with regard to the
preacher, keeping in mind the declaration that there is nothing to fear and the priestly
oracle of assurance is probably the main theological theme in the Good book (See
Isaiah 41-8-13).

The popular representation of the journalist in the media is then the one who inquires
and informs the public about a truth and reality.

The self-sacrificing image of the journalist that the media attempts to promote is
sometimes stripped away and clothed in another somewhat sinister image, ignoring,
fabricating or constructing the facts in order to create panic or ”feel good feelings”
among badly informed readers.

What is of importance here is that the actual truths of the moment are subject to
interpretations and pressurized by deadlines.

The other direction, as it were, is the ultimate objective truth pointing forward and
upward, hailed and proclaimed, but often held hostage by religious figures
broadcasted live celebrating rituals.

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