About The Crap We Call Network News.

[Msterbeau]

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19845/page1/

[SuZQZ]

Interesting, but not surprising. I've always viewed any news source as "their" news. Their version. That is why I try to use many different sources for information including news media from other nations.

[Msterbeau]

Interesting, but not surprising. I've always viewed any news source as "their" news. Their version. That is why I try to use many different sources for information including news media from other nations.

Yeah. It was just interesting to get a first hand account on some of the decision making. Fucking idiots. I perceived that long ago, though. I haven't watched TV news since 9/11 and rarely before that.

[Hellion]

I'll stick with WWJ 950 AM they're pretty good for road reports

F#@K Fox Brainwash News

[ttogreh]

Always try to hear or read or watch the news from many different sources owned by different companies. Caveat emptor, eh?

[nilhil_glory]

if i read anything its ap

i dont trust any of em

[hunhee]

i listen to NPR, or I watch the CBC when I actually had a TV. I don't trust the sensationalism on the U.S. News.

[the eternal]

It's amazing. What this article shows is, once again, with all the talk about news programs leaning toward the blue (dem) or the red (GOP), in the end,

the most important factor is the green.

how else can you explain 3 straight months of Anna Nicole coverage

(honestly who really gave a damn about her anyway?)

Networks have always been a business, but at least there used to be a balance between news and entertainment.

Now, unfortunately, it seems like real news is almost besides the point.

Thanks for the link, Marc!

[Destroit]

I'll check Fox on TV, MSNBC online, and the German news, along with Canadian sometimes. I like to get a healthy perspective of blue vs. red propaganda so that I can sift through what I would deem bullshit and look for loopholes, twists, and spin in the stories. The German news is to not only brush up on the language, but also to get a perspective of what people across the ocean are thinking and the Canadian news is to find out how bad our neighbors are laughing at us right now.

It's well rounded enough for me, I'd read more but I never have the time.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Propoganda and the News media trying to make the USA look good... or at least not as bad as it coud... are not new...

[Destroit]

Propoganda and the News media trying to make the USA look good... or at least not as bad as it coud... are not new...

Oh I know, and people think America is the only country that does it, when that's TOTALLY the opposite of the truth. Not everyone thinks that, but alot of my tin-hat friends do.

I've had a few tell me "Did you know America has MORE media propoganda than ANY other country in the world?" With that I do this: and ask, "So where'd you read that one? Crack Head Tin-Hat magazine?" Usually shuts them up.

We have a good amount, yes, but we definately aren't on top when it comes to bullshit.

[know_buddy_kares]

true gaf, but it hasn't gotten this bad since the depression... and actualy i think it's worse than the depression in terms of media fed bullshit.

I can't stand fox news honestly. I think as they're far out of touch with reality as you can get.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Then you need to study WWII, both during and post war... and the 50's. We in no way have the amouont of government Propoganda we did then.

[Destroit]

true gaf, but it hasn't gotten this bad since the depression... and actualy i think it's worse than the depression in terms of media fed bullshit.

I can't stand fox news honestly. I think as they're far out of touch with reality as you can get.

I would say the same thing, but MSNBC is just as bad, that's why I read both and then compare them to each other. Most of the time they both say the same thing, believe it or not.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

The difference between MSNBC, FoxNews and CNN is not what they say, but what spin they put on it.

MSNBC does not in anyway try to hide it's extreme left slant. Fox does not hide it's extreme Right slant. CNN appears neutral but turns out to have a slight lean to the left.

Where the slant really shows in all cases is not in the main news cast... it's in the talk shows and their picks for talking heads. It's in the questions they ask and how they lead to the answer that is wanted to push that particular agenda.

[Msterbeau]

Propoganda and the News media trying to make the USA look good... or at least not as bad as it coud... are not new...

Those are posters. Not the news. And just because they did it before doesn't mean they should do it now. News should not be watered-down, sugar coated nonsense about people and events that don't mean shit to my life. I'm tired of these corporate assholes thinking I give a rats ass about Britney Spears sex life and OJ's trial. For that matter, I'm tired of so many viewers caring about this shit.

[Destroit]

Those are posters. Not the news. And just because they did it before doesn't mean they should do it now. News should not be watered-down, sugar coated nonsense about people and events that don't mean shit to my life. I'm tired of these corporate assholes thinking I give a rats ass about Britney Spears sex life and OJ's trial. For that matter, I'm tired of so many viewers caring about this shit.

Ditto. I mean like The Eternal said, why do we need to know about Anna Nicole for three months?

Sure, I don't mind hearing about that stuff, I like hearing little stories about life in America and happy things, but when there's important shit going on in the world that celebrity stuff (and other "frivolous" stuff) shouldn't be the center of the news. They should have it, sure, but keep it minimal. Cute little stories and celebrity news makes people feel "normal" and raises morale, that's why I think it is important, but that doesn't mean we should be digging our head in the sand and paying attention to only that kind of cute news.

[know_buddy_kares]

Ditto. I mean like The Eternal said, why do we need to know about Anna Nicole for three months?

Sure, I don't mind hearing about that stuff, I like hearing little stories about life in America and happy things, but when there's important shit going on in the world that celebrity stuff (and other "frivolous" stuff) shouldn't be the center of the news. They should have it, sure, but keep it minimal. Cute little stories and celebrity news makes people feel "normal" and raises morale, that's why I think it is important, but that doesn't mean we should be digging our head in the sand and paying attention to only that kind of cute news.

see, the reason why most media sources focus on useless trailer park trash drama stories like Anna Nicole is because the government just did something that is so obvious and blatant against our rights, or they really fucked up... bad... and any coverage would be impossible to polish up their bowel movement on the citizens to a point where it actually looks good.... instead they just ignore it and hope we do too by trying to distract us with some celebrity bullshit.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Marc,

I think you missed my point.

I know those are posters. I also posted a link to the AP news reel.

I was speaking of the over all government propaganda machine of days gone past. When News papers, radio stations and all other news outlets told the people exactly what the government told them to.

When every piece of mail coming from the various wars was read by a government agent and redacted as needed.

There was a point in time when the NY Times was a government mouth piece.

[the eternal]

Marc and I may lean left, Cher and Gaf may lean right, but if there was a Dem taking us into battle, the outlets would bury the info too.

There was always propaganda. It was probably worse back then. We were less media savvy. We're more cynical now. We don't go for those blatant ploys as much BUT along with the propaganda, there used to be more real news.

Plain and simple.

How f%$#ed up is it that we have more avenues than ever for the major outlets to give us information, but less ACTUAL news than ever.

Newspapers that used to have news bureaus in Russia and Germany shut their bureaus down.

News stations that used take on hard news storied with the pablum, streamlined out most of the hard news.

Another thing that wasn't mentioned too much is that it's much cheaper to have less reporters and spend less time doing in-depth assignments.

Not every news story has to dovetail with a product placement.

It's so sad, really.

[Destroit]

see, the reason why most media sources focus on useless trailer park trash drama stories like Anna Nicole is because the government just did something that is so obvious and blatant against our rights, or they really fucked up... bad... and any coverage would be impossible to polish up their bowel movement on the citizens to a point where it actually looks good.... instead they just ignore it and hope we do too by trying to distract us with some celebrity bullshit.

Basically they're pulling the same thing mayor Adam West pulled in that Family Guy episode by banning gay marriage to take away from the Dig 'Em fiasco?

WTF is wrong with me. That's my third media reference on here in the past 24 hours, first Little Nicky, then South Park and now Family Guy.

Yesterday I couldn't stop making obvious and cheesy jokes.

I think this thing about quitting all subtances at once is making me loopy Well...loopier than normal.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I can tell you why that is...

People are lazy, self centered fucks.

News papers are apparently too much work to read. Hence most of them bleeding money, cutting staff and paper size.

Knowing whats really going on has taken a back seat to finding justification for our point of view.

I admit to this just as much as I accuse everyone else.

I have no idea when I last read a news paper. It takes time and effort that I have been programed to think I dont have.

[Destroit]

Marc,

I think you missed my point.

I know those are posters. I also posted a link to the AP news reel.

I was speaking of the over all government propaganda machine of days gone past. When News papers, radio stations and all other news outlets told the people exactly what the government told them to.

When every piece of mail coming from the various wars was read by a government agent and redacted as needed.

There was a point in time when the NY Times was a government mouth piece.

I also believe that propoganda is less effictive in this day and age as compaired to back in WWII era simply because of the advent of mass and readily available communication, globally especially.

For instance, the internet. A place where people are able to congregate and discuss what is happening in the news and what they have seen. It gives the people of America (and elsewhere) a chance to discuss it and decipher what is seemingly bullshit and what isn't. It isn't governments telling us what to think, it's the news/government giving us information and the people collectively taking that information from all sources and FORMING what we think of it.

That is why so much of the internet is banned and restricted in places like China, because their government doesn't want their people to be able to A) Discuss the corruptness of the government with other citizens and B) Catch onto how the rest of the world is and the fact that we don't all function like China (i.e. relatively better).

Just using them as an example. Of course, apparantly they're even beginning to change slowly from what I've heard.

Back before the advent of the information highway people were isolated into their communities, whether it was villages or cities, and only able to discuss with other people from that local region. News was hardly ever in real-time (had to wait for the paper to come out daily) or if it was on TV/radio, it definately wasn't 24 hours like in the modern era.

We're allowed, and able now, to discuss with a wide variety of people from all sorts of opinions, views, and stances, varied countries even, on different matters to try to figure out what's real, what's crap, and who's trying to blow smoke up our collective asses.

Also, the fact that we can read news from other countries (as I've said I read the German news and Canadian sometimes) would have been most likely impossible, or very difficult at best. In the era before everything was readily available at our fingertips, it would have been unfeasable to get a clear world view of what was occuring outside of our homeland. Now, we're able to educate ourselves better.

[Msterbeau]

Physical newspapers are going away because of the web. Why wait to read the paper when much of the same stuff is on the web... or could be? I like the web as a news source... the immediacy is great. It also means anyone can post, which is a double edged sword. It makes some sense to consolidate national and international news coverage... why duplicate effort? Again... a double edged sword. One person may not get the whole story. A dozen quite likely will. Killing staff means local events don't get covered properly though.

What I saw in the story is that corporate interests are dictating what "news" is. That's why I go elsewhere to find it.

I can tell you why that is...

People are lazy, self centered fucks.

News papers are apparently too much work to read. Hence most of them bleeding money, cutting staff and paper size.

Knowing whats really going on has taken a back seat to finding justification for our point of view.

I admit to this just as much as I accuse everyone else.

I have no idea when I last read a news paper. It takes time and effort that I have been programed to think I dont have.

[know_buddy_kares]

Basically they're pulling the same thing mayor Adam West pulled in that Family Guy episode by banning gay marriage to take away from the Dig 'Em fiasco?

WTF is wrong with me. That's my third media reference on here in the past 24 hours, first Little Nicky, then South Park and now Family Guy.

Yesterday I couldn't stop making obvious and cheesy jokes.

I think this thing about quitting all subtances at once is making me loopy Well...loopier than normal.

Well the little nicky thing was a stretch but I saw your point you were trying to make. The south park and family guy episodes were great references actually. That's why they did the whole skit to make fun of how the government and media manipulate the masses away from their screw ups. To me, every time it happens, and it works, it's really dissapointing to me that most people will be so easily manipulated and spun around like that.