| Author |
Message |
    
Rainman
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 01:22 pm: | 
|
Rant on...
First, on a side note, I don't believe the media made Obama anymore than the media made Bush. A carefully crafted PR push made both of them and the majority of Americans voted for them.
I voted for neither.
On the mainbar, I'm afraid you guys are right and I am wrong.
I sat down last night to contemplate my rant and the responses. I realized that times have changed.
I am old. When I started in 1976, reporters dug for facts, aired them out and let the @#$% fall where it may. If the story took out an elected official, so be it. We took the time to check out stories and j-schools taught research techniques and how to write.
I've seen too many instances, including Dan Rather, of that not happening.
Reading SM's question, I realized that in my previous post I was not considering Fox and MSNBC real news organizations. First, they don't have their own reporters, they have "analysts" and "experts."
When something happens, they call up newspaper reporters to get them on the air an talk about the facts. I know because I was often on the networks until I realized I was being used and told them to do their own reporting.
I've watched the cable networks side-by-side as they covered state of the union speeches and their political ties truly show through.
I don't consider them real news organizations, but for most people, that's where they get their info. The Media is not about news anymore, it's about entertainment and dollars. Fox makes its money from the guys on the right who can never be wrong. MSNBC makes it from the guys on the left who can never be wrong.
CNN is confused and going broke.
Radio talk shows hosts are all money-driven and the more you shout, the farther out you are, the more people listen and the more money you can get for advertising.
Newspapers, I'm afraid, are following the same pattern as corporate heads worry more about stock values than ethics.
So, perhaps you are correct in not trusting The Media. You certainly can't trust Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Olbermann or the others to give it to you straight.
Believe who you want, but trust no one.
Rant off... |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:13 pm: |
|
Great post Rainman... I completely agree! |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:19 pm: |
|
I've not seen more reporting anywhere than by Glen Beck. The stuff that his staff digs up and puts out is amazing. Oddly (sarcasm alert) the mainstream press largely ignores it.
I don't trust any one source for news. When it was revealed by--I think--Gallup that a full 90% of the managing editors in the Washington press core voted for Clinton, Gore, and Kerry, my eyes were opened. |
Azxb9r
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:36 pm: |
|
The Media is not about news anymore, it's about entertainment and dollars
Unfortunately that is where we are. As far as the bias of the media is concerned, for every "liberal" news outlet there is a "conservative" news outlet to counter it. For every NY Times there is a NY Post, for every Fox news there is an MSNBC. The bias of the media just depends on which way you look. |
B00stzx3
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:51 pm: |
|
OMG! Lindsay Lohan painted naughty words on her nail!! Octomom! Weather baloon kid!!
Yeah, I'll stick to blogs for my news. And the Daily Show/Colbert, but they are owned by Viacom so who knows how unbiased they can be. |
Buellkowski
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:53 pm: |
|
In the old days of newspaper, editors were careful to keep content centrist and balanced to alienate as few readers as possible and to help stifle the success of any local competition. It was about money then, too, but the result was (in hindsight) rather noble.
Would it be fair to say that local news broadcasts are less politically biased than national broadcasts? |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 04:56 pm: |
|
"for every "liberal" news outlet there is a "conservative" news outlet to counter it."
Not so much. The ratio is closer to 8:1
There are no conservative news outlets on on broadcast television, only liberal. |
Rainman
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 06:01 pm: |
|
In the old days of newspaper, editors were careful to keep content centrist and balanced to alienate as few readers as possible and to help stifle the success of any local competition. It was about money then, too, but the result was (in hindsight) rather noble.
Pretty much the way it was. My editors weren't worried about upsetting anyone. They didn't care about politics and most were pretty conservative. Most still are.
If someone got the redass, the editors just wanted to say "that's the facts ma'am" and make sure I had it right so they could back me.
To do that, they wanted to know what really happened from three or four different sides of an issue. Anonymous sources had to come in sets of threes and editors had to know who they were.
We had enough staff so that reporters did not need to write two stories everyday. If we spent 5 hours in a library researching, it was considered well spent.
TV doesn't have that. With reduced staffs, most papers are losing it. Complicated issues are ignored because there is no time to do it right, or worse, they're butchered into sound bites.
As far as bias, in my newsroom we have two staunch conservatives, two staunch liberals, four libertarians with a small 'L', one avid hunter/outdoorsman, one former US Army Special Forces SOG team sergeant from the Vietnam War (the real Rambo), three martial artists, four hand gun owners and three motorcyclists (only one Buell.)
My editor leans to the conservative, is a long-distance cross-country runner who hikes and camps and hates taxes.
The Liberals hate us. The conservative radio heads hate us. We do a damn good job for what the company gives us.
We're probably the snail darter of the news world, however, an endangered species. |
Azxb9r
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 07:28 pm: |
|
There are no conservative news outlets on on broadcast television, only liberal.
And if you turn on the radio it is all conservative, so it balances out. |
Ducbsa
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 07:32 pm: |
|
All conservative, because the liberal talk shows failed.
Although, on the local public jazz station, they had a PSA where the young lady was proclaiming that graffiti (vandalism) was part of hip hop culture and an art form. So maybe the left wing line is part of public radio, too. |
Azxb9r
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 08:22 pm: |
|
graffiti (vandalism) was part of hip hop culture and an art form.
I have never been able to understand how vandalizing someone elses property could be considered "art", and It definately does not fall under first amendment rights |
Aesquire
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 08:26 pm: |
|
Public radio IS the left wing line....sorta. ( see rant above )
The times they are a-changin. 1984 was a while ago, and the Ministry of Truth meets for Breakfast and sends out the talking points for the day to the "news" companies. ( well, that's what Rush says....and dang nab it, there is documentation....) That's why if you jump from channel to channel, you hear the exact same words. ( E. Rahm, & crew per Rush. Believe it as you wish )
Remember "gravitas"? Not a word used by anyone outside latin class or someone trying to sound smart. Suddenly, every talking head "wondered if Bush had Gravitas"....and were smug with the self love that shows how smart they are. ( gravitas long predates Rahm as head minion, by the way )
One of the only fun parts of Rush's shows left, ( besides the parody songs ) is when he plays the compilation of CNN/NBC/ABC/etc. voices saying the exact same thing. Word for word. I know they don't have reporters anymore.... but it's pretty blatant.
For those who think I'm a dittohead...I'm more a Dennis Miller guy. Beck is right more often than not, and boy is he the target of hate.... Rush is sort of old hat and repetitive. What was the news this morning? Rush blames it on Clinton...or Obama...or the Dems.... I'm walking all day, and change freqs a lot. NPR's Science Friday is a fav.
Re: leftist talk radio... ever listen? Talk radio needs a sense of humor. You can bitch all you want about the Governor, if you have some wit. ( and in new york, the The new one spent too much, the last one spent too much..... on hookers. Now that's both political and funny. )
Pure vitriol isn't funny. Lucky for America, we mostly can laugh at a blue dress, or a carbon obsessed sex poodle, or a family values guy caught in an airport bathroom. I conclude that leftist talking heads don't have a good sense of humor. ( don't ask me about Savage. I have no idea )
A final observation.
Balloon boy? I listened to the drama on radio. happy no one hurt. Then I get home and see the tv.... how fraking stupid are these reporters and cops????? It wasn't until you see the stupid mylar balloon on the ground that I realized it wasn't nearly big enough to carry a child....but the air to air footage from the helicamera's clearly shows an empty half deflated toy. There is no way any shape balloon could be that limp with a load of any kind. I'm not even an expert. ( ok, a jump out of one, set up, chased & folded several, can tell you why the Macon went down with her Curtis Sparrowhawks.....but not an expert. )
If they are that dumb, and any aviation buff could take one look at the half deflated balloon and tell you it's empty, how stupid do you think they think you are? ( really really stupid.....after all, Clinton, Bush and Obama all got elected...) |
Gregtonn
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 11:43 pm: |
|
Cataract2
"Greg, just because I'm very curious. What was her answer."
Because you asked.
It went like this:
"Well, I was an assistant manager at MacDonald's for a couple of years after I graduated and now, due to that life experience and my degree, I'm going to be your boss."
I glanced at her boss. He gave me a wry smile and a nod. I decided I would let him deal with her instead.
After the meeting he said, "Why don't you and I have a talk in my office? Greg should come too."
In his office:
"The reason you got an interview for this job was because Greg declined to accept it. He wants to stay more involved in design and engineering."
He then took his copy of the org chart and red-lined it, moving my name up one level so I was reporting directly to him.
Handing it to her he said, "Ask my admin to update that, make copies for your team. Be sure you give one to Greg too."
G |
Cataract2
| | Posted on Thursday, July 08, 2010 - 11:55 pm: |
|
Nice. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Friday, July 09, 2010 - 09:57 am: |
|
"And if you turn on the radio it is all conservative, so it balances out."
NPR. The taxpayer funded left wing media. |
Aesquire
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - 08:13 pm: |
|
http://article.nationalreview.com/437947/censorshi p-as-tolerance/jacob-mchangama
Censorship as ‘Tolerance’ |
Cochise
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 05:30 pm: |
|
I can't stand that Glenn Beck. IMO, he's just a fear monger. Thing that got me was during the Cash-For-Clunker thing, when he said that if you got on the website, the government would hack our computers, kick our dogs and rape our wives and steal our children. |
Sifo
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 05:42 pm: |
|
Thing that got me was during the Cash-For-Clunker thing, when he said that if you got on the website, the government would hack our computers, kick our dogs and rape our wives and steal our children.
Well clearly you don't know what Beck said, so you are being lead by someone who isn't telling you the truth. Beck does deal in fear though. He was very fearful that unrestrained spending by the government would destroy the economy. He railed on that quite a lot. That was before he was on Fox News though. The real scary thing about Beck is that he isn't afraid to tell the truth. |
Aesquire
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 06:41 am: |
|
Don't forget being one of the only "media" folk who predicted the housing collapse, the current depression, the current presidents ties to the communist party, his friends, mentors and hirelings records as murderers, communists, revolutionaries and professional racists. Beck is Still researching the ties for where the huge money goes in this admin. Including the Goldman-sachs, Enron & BP's connection to the cap & trade program and the trillions they plan to steal from you. ( where else are they going to steal it? )
So, more accurate & truthful than most? Yes. That's why the propaganda against Beck is so nasty and pervasive. He's doing the job the Mainstream Media won't do. Tell the truth.
I also find him irritating in many ways.... and if you predict doom daily you will be right sometimes.....except his stuff is based on facts not computer models massaged to give the desired answer. |
Sifo
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 08:19 am: |
|
Beck will spend an entire show detailing various connections and the cause and effect of things to make a point that most shows would cover in a couple of sentences. He sketches it all on a chalk board to keep it mentally available later in the show. Like him or not (there are times I don't) he works with facts. |
Cochise
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 12:23 am: |
|
Well clearly you don't know what Beck said, so you are being lead by someone who isn't telling you the truth. Beck does deal in fear though. He was very fearful that unrestrained spending by the government would destroy the economy. He railed on that quite a lot. That was before he was on Fox News though. The real scary thing about Beck is that he isn't afraid to tell the truth.
I watched him, unless somebody was dubbing the whole episode, I heard what he said, and what his colleagues were saying. Please enlighten me to what he did say, and the part about raping the wife and kicking the dog and stealing children was for effect on my part, I don't know if you caught that or not |
Cochise
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 12:25 am: |
|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqfuZ7hiap0
I guess I need to check my hearing |
|
