Three Friends Chatting about Culture Differences between the US and France through the Media.
Alison : Hey Dune, what are you thinking about our vision of the media, I mean in France ?
Dune : Oh it’s funny that you ask me that now, I just heard a report on this subject this morning. A journalist said that french media have always cared about keeping the French patrimony. In France, we are very careful concerning the number of french and american movies which are broadcasted at TV for example. We want to keep our vision of media culture, you know as the « French touch ». In addition, we didn’t use to talk about private things like private lives of public personalities. So the journalist said that we have a french media culture quite protectionist and discreet. Whereas, in the United States they are loving making a big show since any little private information, isn’t it ?
Alison : Oh okay. That’s interesting to know that it’s like this in France! The American media are really different from the French media. It’s two different cultures that are quite the opposite. As you said, in the United States, we love celebrity gossip and know everything about their lives. When a news comes out, it’s madness ahah ! Usually, television hosts like to blow things out of proportion but it is less the case in the television news. To be honest, the USA is known more for late night talk shows, reality tv and series than news television.
But when you watch television news, you can understand they are not always transparent. Some hosts give their opinions or are politically leaning. So, the media influence information given and that can stir up aversion against people being blamed. More than that American are not attached to their newspaper or tv news. With the advent of technology, Americans (especially young people) got into the habit of checking social networks to know the information. But It's not only Americans who do this...
Marie : As a matter of fact, I agree with you. After reflection, I think it’s right. In France, we are attached to traditional media. Even if more and more people are using social media like twitter or instagram, we can’t imagine a mediatic landscape without newspapers and television. Moreover, people support the media, they trust the media maybe more than the government. And in some way, it’s because the media represent an important part of our history. For example, the famous French newspaper named « le Figaro » appeared in 1826. Or the article by Emile Zola: "J'accuse" in the newspaper l'Aurore, written during the Dreyfus issue in 1898. Do you see? French people have a loyal relationship with the media.