Media Silence: What Doesn’t Get Reported and Why: My Experience

When I was little, I used to sit with my parents every night and watch the news. Back then, I thought the stories I saw on TV, the politics, the big events, the national headlines—were the world. What I didn’t realize was that I was only seeing the surface. My view of reality came from what was chosen to be shown, and like many people, I trusted that what made it to air represented everything that mattered.

But as I got older, that view started to change. Volunteering at food pantries, community farms, and outreach programs opened my eyes to a completely different side of the world, one that rarely makes it into mainstream media. I met people working two jobs who still struggled to afford groceries, families who didn’t speak English but navigated complex systems every day just to get by, and volunteers dedicating every spare minute to helping others with little recognition. These were powerful stories, but they weren’t the ones being told on the evening news.

I started to realize that what doesn’t get reported can be just as important as what does. There are entire communities, especially those affected by socioeconomic or language barriers, that exist in silence. Their challenges, achievements, and resilience often go unnoticed simply because they don’t fit neatly into a headline or because their voices aren’t being heard in the language most of the media operates in.

That realization pushed me to act. I decided to learn Spanish, not for a grade or a requirement, but because I wanted to bridge that communication gap. I wanted to talk directly with people whose stories were being left out and share them with honesty and care. The more I listened, the more I understood that sometimes the quietest voices carry the deepest truths.

I’ve learned that media silence isn’t just about neglect, it’s about missed opportunity. Every untold story is a missed chance to build empathy, awareness, and change. The world is much bigger than the version we see on our screens, and it’s our responsibility to seek out the parts that aren’t being shown. Because often, the stories that are never heard are the ones that matter most.