Showing posts with label MainStream News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MainStream News. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The need for clear, objective reporting in a world of rising religious fundamentalism, economic interdependence and global ecological problems is probably greater than it has ever been. But we are no longer a national audience receiving news from a handful of trusted gatekeepers; we’re now a million or more clusters of consumers, harvesting information from like-minded providers.

The need for clear, objective reporting in a world of rising religious fundamentalism, economic interdependence and global ecological problems is probably greater than it has ever been. But we are no longer a national audience receiving news from a handful of trusted gatekeepers; we’re now a million or more clusters of consumers, harvesting information from like-minded providers.

Ted Koppel: Olbermann, O’Reilly and the death of real news


It’s nice to see that someone sees the same problem I do.


Apparently, Olbermann said something against this, I think?  I’m so sick of that guy and 99.999% of the media.  They’ve made us rock stupid. They have no right to complain about us because they’re a serious part of why we say/do stupid things.  After all, most Americans just slurp up their crappy content and think nothing worse of it.  I think the MSM needs STFU and stop being so sensitive to criticism. 


It’s not like Ted Koppel has any kind of real influence any more.

Monday, April 20, 2009

MainStream Media Love tehPirates NOW, but Where were They Last Year?



News.bbc.co.uk reported on this over the weekend and it struck me as very odd. The media seems to be making such a big deal out of these pirates now, but with pirates commiting statistically approaching 1 attack per day last year, where has the MSM been?

That said, I don't think the pirates should be getting that much coverage anyway since they're really not pirates in any real sense. I mean, these are Somalis for crying out loud--it's not like they're plundering ships for gold--what kind of funding do they even have?

The other day on Democracy Now, they had a guy on who said what we call "Somali Pirates" the Somali people call "the Somali Coast Guard". What do you want? They're a 3rd World country!

Monday, February 25, 2008

CNN.com and Pals Do a Suck Job at News


By looking at CNN.com's main page as I type this you wouldn't know that:

America has troops in Iraq
America has troops in Afghanistan
Turkey has troops in Iraq
The US economy is in bad shape
Poverty is still a huge problem in the US
Katrina victims are still struggling

Granted, they are letting us know about the earthquake that just struck off of Sumatra, but they're also reporting that:

The US Mil is "pretty sure" they shot down that dead spy satellite with the toxic fuel aboard. I'm "pretty sure" I'm relieved knowing that!

Clinton and Obama are arguing about trade--well that's... different.

A woman was apparently refused life-saving oxygen on a plane. Sucks to be her for sure, but is one person's death worth the attention CNN.com is giving it?

Obama is upset over Clinton playing dirty politics. Well, that's... different.

Iraqis use animals and wheelchairs to blow things up. YOU DON'T SAY! HOW CLEVER OF THEM.

Two Cuban groups arrive in the US. That's, uh, nice. Care to tell us WHO THEY ARE?

Apparently an 8th grade kid who was shot was bullied first. This is important to know, if you happened to be the parent of an 8th grader who is currently being bullied and is about to be shot. Which is, you know, a lot of us, I'm sure.

The elephant population of *some* nation *somewhere* in the world has more than doubled. Said nation decides killing some is cool. That'll teach those damn elephants to, uh, procreate.

A man was trapped underwater in a backhoe--what was he doing with a backhoe underwater in the first place?

Places where lots of people died are locations living people are interested in. YOU'RE LYING! No one finds death fascinating!! You're so full of shit, CNN!

;)

The guy who won the lottery recently almost didn't buy a ticket this week, making the rest of us who did feel like asses for bothering.

Apparently, all the best actors aren't American and the Academy knows it.

Credit card debt is up three times the previous measured level and most people pay their bill late. WOW, THAT IS NEWS! I AM SORRY I DOUBTED YOU, CNN!

An iguana that eats it's own kind gets a toy lizard stuck in his throat. Ooo, they've got video of it! What is this America's Funniest Home Videos? Does Tom Bergeron work for CNN now???

Someone called Anne Geddes can't control the babies that she uses in her... project of some kind?

OH and the best bit is their top story--which comes complete with a picture of a "dead nuke plant." Check it out:

"Talk about descent. Eighteen months ago, North Korea could test fire a nuke. Now, the same plant that produced that feat has severed pipes and crumbling concrete. It's a far cry from the place that earned President Bush's 'evil' label."

Nice journalism.

"Talk about descent."??? I didn't go to journalism school or anything, but this doesn't strike me as a very balanced statement. Follow that up with the statement about how this plant is a "far cry" from the plant that made Bush call NoKo 'evil' and you're really tipping the scales. I mean, is the reporter an expert in judging the effects of aging on nuclear plants?

SERIOUSLY, CNN, you guys need to catch a clue before more people defect to MNSBC and Fox News--not that either of those guys are doing any sort of job either.

MSNBC.com is currently reporting on:

The Oscars (important *entertainment* news)
The fact that existing-home sales have fallen to a 10-year low (important)
Clinton and Obama sharpening attacks (not important)
Computers are being taught to appreciate art (not important for top-story billing)
The spy-satellite shoot-down was successful (they should check out what CNN is reporting!)

...and a few other things that have nothing to do with the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the invasion of northern Iraq by Turkey and no mention of the Sumatran earthquake either.

Meanwhile Fox News is even worse. In a story on an American political scientist you've never heard of they actually use the LOLCatz method to announce he's in league with terrorism (to see, go here: http://thepete.com/lolfoxnooz ).

Either way, we're in a world of hurt, news-wise.

Part of a strong, healthy democracy is knowing what the hell is going on and when we know so little about the important stuff, we really can't make the best choice for our leaders. Kinda makes you wonder if this hasn't been going on for a while now.

I mean, look at the state of the Earth.
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