nothing

[bpdchief]

nothing worth reading

[jonathan180iq]

It just so happens that this event occurs as I am in the midst of watching all of the conspiracy documentaries on Netflix. (Not because I am theorist, but because I want to see why people think and believe what they believe.)

If nothing else, it has made me more acutely aware of how media coverage works in this country and how the average member of the populace will quickly show their prejudices because of it. It's not surprising really, since most people garner their pop-culture education from the very media that I'm talking about. If your educator only presents things in one way, then the educated will only learn one way to perceive and think about things. It's not like our modern culture promotes critical thinking or anything the requires deeper thought to begin with...

I'm not picking on any network in particular, but as far as journalism goes, I do find it interesting that our main news outlets have slogans. Fox News, for example, goes by the slogan "We report. You decide." In journalism, reporting is based simply on fact. The popularity of the presentation of that fact is based on the charisma of the individual presenter, not on the philosophical pandering to a certain segment of the populace. But that's that all we have in mainstream presentation. Fox, CNN, MSNBC... Hell even the local news stations have changed their formats to garner more viewership.

I know I'm just rambling. The point is that we shouldn't forget that the news channels no longer exists to present the information. They exist for entertainment. They are little more than unscripted reality TV, that also sometimes have scripts...

NOTE: This is an Off-topic chit chat, and I would like to see this conversation develop. But we have to keep it civil.

[jonathan180iq]

BTW, I think Alex Jones and the like have already kind of showed their ass by claiming that a loudspeaker was telling people to remain calm just moments before the explosions... turns out that never even happened. In no video or recording of the event does anything like that happen...

Sometimes people want so badly for something to be true that they invent things to support their position.

[bpdchief]

You're so right jonathan.. every watch BBC News? They on air people are called presenters and that's what they do - they present the news.

Here in the US the "News Anchors" are serious looking old men and good looking (sexy) young women who give very very biased angles to the events. And the weather people (anyone can call themselves a meteorologist) put on a song and dance. It's not hard at all to figure out the politics of the various groups - NBC, CBS, CNN.

You really almost have to watch foreign news to find out what is going on here - they don't have hidden agendas, or get funded by our political parties and thus be obliged to bend the stories one way or another.

Figuring out which news affiliate is telling the most truth on a story will certainly keep you on your toes.

BTW - Mr. Bean's facial expressions clearly show the mentality of the media at large

[jonathan180iq]

I think it has more to do with what media is, really.

I mean, to be honest, if you just want raw news, sans opinon, then the unedited presentations on CSPAN are really your only option.
It's amazing sometimes, the difference of personal feeling you will get if you watch a complete speech, without interruptions, on CSPAN and then watch a news delivery of that same speech by a major media outlet. It's why I stopped watching news all together a few years ago.

Pundits are nothing but celebrities. They have no formal training in the events or topics that they have such strong opinions about. They are, essentially, nobodies, and we listen to them as if they were some type of authority on any topic at all.

Rush Limbaugh
Rachel Maddow
Glenn Beck
Wolf Blitzer
Bill O'Reilley
Sean Hannity
That cajun guy....
Anderson Cooper
Kim Kardashian
Honey boo boo

These are people who haven't ever contributed anything, really, to our society. They are household names, yet they are nobodies. (At least Cooper would put himself in the real places he was reporting on. But that's about it) Point is, what are they authorities on, aside from having station-funded and scripted talking points and are good at delivering their ideas?

Thing is, this clown show would disappear if we didn't buy into their product. But we do.

[Fawlty]

I used to watch BBC News a lot, but I stopped a couple of years ago because it so biased to the left wing. Many people call it the Bolshevik Broadcasting Company. It is supposed to be completely neutral, as it is a public company, paid for by the UK tax payers but in effect it is a Socialist organization from top to bottom.

I now use the internet to read the news from several different sources worldwide and try to get a balanced view of current affairs. It's very difficult sometimes.

[jonathan180iq]

Extremely difficult.

I wouldn't call it a socialist organization, but I don't live there and don't know all the details. I think sometimes we give anything with a British accent a little more respect because it sounds "fancy" to us New Worlders

People hate on NPR here in the States, as it receives govt. funding and they say it's extremely liberal. I observe a lot of different sources, and it's not THAT liberal. It's just not crazy conservative and that comes off as being very liberal, depending on your other influences. It's not really all-encompassing, (I mean, it's obviously aimed at very white, upper-middle class demographics) and I would like to see more "everyman" journalism coming from it. But it's not terrible.

[bpdchief]

CSPAN vs ANY other news organization - as different as night and day. That is the safest place to get our news.

You want the bejesus scared out of you ??? Just listen to the fear mongers at "The Weather Channel".. every light afternoon sprinkle is a potential tornado - hurry take shelter now! Is there any other country in the world that gives names to a spring shower or light snow? I'm waiting to hear with fear in her voice = " Spring shower "Thomas" wreaked havoc on Iris and Daisys across the mid-west today - Live on the scene outside Muldrow, OK where a rose lost a petal is Jim Cantore " :lol: