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OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
<font color=red>Rant To Follow. Read At Own Risk</font>
I tell ya, the 10 o'clock news up here in Portland is in the business of MAKING the news rather than reporting it. What they do report on is nonsense and what I am sure many consider to be propaganda news designed to sound impressive but have no substance. It is so irritating to turn on the news and not have news, but rather reports on this person said this in a school, and that person emailed that person a nasty note. Hell what have we come to when a six year old become the LEADING story for having taken a GIJoe figure to school? They make it sound like the kid is a war mongering, violent, sex offender who needs to be locked up and executed. It sickens me that more and more news programs are deteriorating to the level of those gossip magazines that you see at the check out stands, you know the ones, they have head lines that are so stupid you laugh. Well I am not laughing any more. Those who report the news have a ethical mandate to report the news, no make it up, not to become the police, not to capture criminals, and not to sell a person civil rights or freedoms down the drain for better Ratings. What happened? Why now are all the news networks and program so wrapped up on making the news, in taking sides and airing opinions rather than facts? I truly wish that congress and the senate would take a serious look at what has become the news, and draft legislation that clearly outlines the principles, ethics, and standard that all news organizations must meet. That violating a persons right to privacy, reporting rumors and not facts, and using their power to destroy will bring a hefty price tag in the way of fines and consequences both civil and criminal. Telling people how to live their lives is not reporting the news. Telling people about every little nit picking minor incident that happened that day because by sensationalizing it they can gain a higher rating must come to a stop. A persons rights should never be violated by the six o'clock news! No person charged with a serious crime will ever get a fair trial if they are judge by the media before hand. Let us, the people, form our own judgement based upon the true and accurate facts, not on half truths, sound bites, and rumors. A camera does more than record the events of the day, in the wrong hands, it can change the events of the day for both good and bad depending upon who is holding it. People cannot possible be this dumb as to believe that what the news networks and programs are dishing out is the truth. By God they cannot be that dumb, can they? If we buy into the hype, the sensationalism, the drama, the sound bytes, and the media circus, then what chance have we got in ever being told the truth? [ February 19, 2004, 05:33: Message edited by: Atrocities ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
rraaar
I agree critical thinking about stuff is sometimes not worth the effort well, they go for what sells, and if people like drivel, then they'll sell it |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
anyone who tries to grab my GIjoe magazines is gonna have to pry them from my cold, dead fingers. [cue dramatic music]
even if i only have a few. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif [ February 19, 2004, 05:58: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ] |
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There are very many very dumb people out there. Corporate news has decided they are the ones to sell their product to.
We had a story recently that seemed to go on for 5-10 minutes which was: There's this local guy and you won't believe what his name is... it's George Bush! Wow! And now you really won't believe this part - we sure don't - he doesn't like the Presidents who have the same name! Let's watch him sand something in his woodshop, and interview him! Woah! He's a member of the Democratic party, not the Republican party, EVEN THOUGH his name is George ... Bush! Wow! Y'know, before George W. Bush's father became vice president, his name was just a name, but when that happened, things really changed. And the eventual astonishing climax of the story? What's your wife's name, George? "Barbara!" Whoa! We can't believe that guy is a Democrat. What a world we live in, huh? Meanwhile, actually interesting stories about governments losing control of their countries, natural disasters killing more people than the WTC collapse, etc., get only 5-15 seconds because they are about foreigners, and who really cares about them, huh? Back in the late 80's, a news show hit the air at about 11:00pm, catering to a more intelligent audience. In fact, their catch phrase was, "News... for smart people!" Naturally, it was cancelled right away. PvK [ February 19, 2004, 06:20: Message edited by: PvK ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
well said AT!
hell we have some nasty flooding going on in NZ, why dont they report that! |
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I feel your pain, AT.
On my way home from the cigar shop Last night I was listening to ABC News on the local all-news station. The top-of-the-hour segments hit on the elections and Iraq, of course, but had two other items prominently mentioned... 1 - a man in France finally died of complications from swallowing over 15 pounds of coins and jewelry over a period of several years 2 - the court case surrounding some guys who got drunk and got into a fight in a reservation out west. It appears one of them pissed in an empty can and gave the can to one of his drinking buddies as a joke. To me, *these stories* are the joke. With *so much* else going on in the world, was there nothing more newsworthy than these two pieces of drivel?!?! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
Here in Finland some "public moral guardians" got idea that japanese comic called Dragonball Z is encouraging people for pedophilia because there is child like figures with boobs and in sexual positions (propably they have seen some hentai pics and mixed them with Dragonball Z because of similar drawing style and because comic figures are quite alike in japanese comics). Naturally these bright heads concluded that it is damaging their children, encouraging adults for sexual crimes and decreasing general morale and stability of our society. They made such a noise of it in media that the comic was actually withdrawn from the shops. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif
Where is the intelligence of this?? Luckily, this is stand-alone thing, but I fear there might be more in the future... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif [ February 19, 2004, 11:12: Message edited by: Karibu ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
AT, that's precicely why I don't watch the news. I'm the one people have to call to tell me something important is on the news. Or if I happen to be watching TV and there is a NEWS-BREAk that interrupts the program I'm watching.
The only news that I glace at on a regular basis is my two local newspapers. As to why this kind of sensationalism is happening in the NEWS today? Simple the News feels that it has to compete with the 'Entertainment Industry' in order to get Ratings. The problem is that by 'creating' news and glorifying non-newsworthy events they are loosing their audience in the process. My prediction,.. (and a grim one at that) The next big man-made disaster will be caused by some idiot trying to get his 15 min of fame on the news. The really sad thing is the news will probably give him weeks if not months of infamy and try to make him/her out to be a victim of society. (In fact he will have become a victim of the 'NewsCast Ratings Frenzy' Nuf said, Cheers! |
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Atrocities, I feel your pain. Somebody get him a stool and a beer to go with it. Only trouble is, at the end of that rant you started asking for government standards for the news...a genuinely bad idea. There's enough spin already.
True, I did hear a story the other night about a dead dog, and happened to think that it must have been a particularly slow news day. I do get a bit upset as the media attempts to prematurely annoint one and then another political candidate the party's likely nominee, almost before the primaries can be held. And sure, I will often turn the TV off in disgust. But the one thing you will never hear me say is "there ought to be a law..." (or government standards for the news). |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
The majority of our "news" for the 5 local stations deals with weather, "public interest" items, and "call for action/problem solvers/etc." type of reports.
It's funny, some of the stations even report on what the other stations are doing if it makes the others look bad. Talk about making your own news. Recently, Channel 5 used a chatroom sting set up by a guy in Michigan to get men to come to a house looking for a liason with a boy. They filmed all of the men who showed up... Then, they marketed their report by saying one of the perpetrators was from a prominent Kansas City family. Turns out that the son of the head of a prominent philanthropic foundation with the same lLast name, and had nothing to do with the "prominent" family, was the big story. They also went on and on about doing this to protect our children. However, they held the story for over a month to use it during sweeps week. Fortunately I didn't waste my time watching. The other thing that burns me is all of the emergency reports on the coming snow storms that don't arrive. They talked all day about how bad it was going to be (at least 10+ inches) and we had less than an inch of snow. what's funny, is that ever station missed it. Now, back to work... [ February 19, 2004, 16:43: Message edited by: Greybeard ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
Where is the killer bee invasion?
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
Now you are going to get me started!
I don't listen to the news for several reasons: 1- Inaccuracy I can still remember when an escaped convict was running around our county several years back. I tuned to see if they had caught him yet. Finally, they did. Cornered him in the basement, handcuffed him, and took him away. Of course, looking for more info on the story right in our "back yard", I tuned to another station to hear them reporting he had been captured in the attic of the house. But that's not an isolated example. Over and over, you can hear different death tolls from accidents, or money taken from a bank, or the number of people at a rally. You really just can't believe but about half of what you hear or read. 2- Hype and Exaggeration As mentioned earlier...the weather is a prime example. In Atlanta, the favorite thing to say is, "Could there be snow in the forcast? Tune in at 11 to see." And the names of things when a few clouds appear on the horizon..."Stormwatch 2004" where the crew rolls up their sleeves and promises to keep us informed all night long of developments. 3- The Hooks You know what I'm talking about. "Is the Internet endangering the life of your 13-year-old daughter? See our story later on for a warning!" Followed by, "... story coming up!" Then, the "...after this word from our sponsor!" And even then, the first story up after the commercial isn't what they have been baiting you with. Actually, even when they say, "next", it isn't necessarily next. 4- Sports and Weather Yeah, I know I'm un-American and lack all manner of male libido when I say sports takes up too much time. In a 30 minute show, approximately, in America, 20 minutes of it is for actually content and 10 minutes is for commercials. OF that 20 minutes, they devote about 8-9 minutes to news, 3-4 minutes to weather, 4-5 minutes to sports, and the remaining 2-3 minutes to human interest. That's just too much. Sports is a waste and I can reduce the weather to about a 20-second report when I relay it to my wife. "Rain supposed to be coming in tomorrow afternoon or evening. Won't freeze, though. Next day's supposed to be nicer, though...I think they said in the 50s." There! Done! 5- Live Reporting There's an aggravation for sure! Would someone please explain to me what the point is of the average live report!?!? Say a robber has been shot and taken to the hospital. The stations says, "And now, for a live report, we take you to 'fillin the blank'!" Then we see 'fillin the blank' standing in front of the hospital. There, 'fillin the blank' recites facts that happened hours ago. BUT, it's a live report! Meaning it's being filmed even as we watch! Of course, forget the fact that the facts are no more pertinent than they would have been had it been reported from behind the desk! 6- Home Town Connection Another one that pi$$es me off! It goes a little like this: "An Arabian Airliner went down over the ocean and up to 200 lives are feared to be lost." (That's about it) BUT, just let them find out someone from Georgia--or even better yet, Atlanta--was on the plane! Then you can get another minute on the crash...of course, it's usually only a picture of the family, a report of why he was on the plane, etc. What amazes me is how news is hardly worth mentioning unless someone from the "center of the world--Georgia or Atlanta" is somehow in it. Like I said, don't get me started! I'm not even sure how they look at themselves in the mirror. Throw them in the pig pen with lawyers, used car salesmen, and telemarketers for all I care! |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
I don't watch broadcast news cause it sucks so I'll continue the digression.
We are overdue for the next ice age - based on core samples from the glaciers - the Last 11K years have been a relatively long time between the ice ages allowing humans to develop a civilization other than hunter gatherers. An interesting idea is that Civilization - as we know it - could have developed in any interglacial period in the Last several hundred thousand years if there had been enough time. In other warm periods as soon as any hunter gatherers decided to venture out of his cave it got cold again. A scary side note is that data shows that global cooling happens fairly rapidly in as little as a few decades. No one knows how the green house gases will affect this ice age cycle but some scientists suggest that global warming is actually a precursor to global cooling. Global warming would shut down the gulf stream causing the northern latitudes to freeze. Anyway I would place my bet on an ice age over runaway global warming due to green house gases as the likeliest global catastrophe. [ February 19, 2004, 21:21: Message edited by: rextorres ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
Now that we have the technology to actually survive the next ice age. Who do you think will be chosen to survive?
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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Anyways, I agree with you all. The news is mostly a waste of time. [ February 19, 2004, 23:31: Message edited by: Renegade 13 ] |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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Anyways, I agree with you all. The news is mostly a waste of time. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">To both of you, no we have not heard anything about them because they HAVE NOT been reported. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif God I hate the news channels here! |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
i suggest the creation of a world-wide forum and bypass the news networks.
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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You all are right, the news had degenerated into accomodating the simple mind folks who are often to occupied with their own lifes challenges to pay attention to real news, so they opt to go with the Jerry Springer, trash tabliod, mountain out of mole hills, ultra sensationalized FUBAR news to draw their interest. Leading stories on the local news were mostly about the man said hello to a young girl, cops called. This guy yelled at a young boy, cops called. Then they decided to play cop and went on line and talked to people on chats and got a few dumb asses to show up at some location and then revieled it was a news investigation into on line predators. Then they try and sell that **** to poeple by showing some chat Messages that could have been from the guy in the next room for all we know. These poor dumb bastards all said that they were asked to show up by a friend, not expecting to be pegged as devants. Now if there were on line stalkers, then hell ya, bust em, but LEAVE that to the professionals at the POLICE! Not some new show out to grab Ratings at the expense of human sufforing! |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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Why should I be afraid to say the truth? Why should I be fearful of being branded electronically as a terrorist threat because my own Government has turned toltarian. No offense to Bush, but he is just being advised by some dark people these days. |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
i suggest that we beat reporters over the heads with microphones.
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
Hey Atrocities, move to Canada! No terrorists here (after all, who would want to attack Canada? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ) And no fear of terrorism, and Last time I checked, you can still say mostly what you want without being called a "terrorist" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
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Look at what Date Line did a few years back over the Chevy trucks. Sure the chevy trucks, one in about thousdand, would explode if hit on the side, but Data Line took it one step futher and reported that ALL Chevy trucks exploded upon impact, and even facked an accident to prove it. They used movie special effects to flip the truck and burst it into flames. They got caught but nothing happend. Look at that guy Richard Jewels who was made out to be the Olympic Park bomber and how they literally destroyed that man. He had balls though, he stood up to them and sued and WON. If more and more people could aford to do that, or had laws to support them if they chose to do so, then the News organizations would be less likely to partake in the current tabliod, make the news, opinionated, factless babble that they current are airing to the American Public. Just tell us the facts, let us make up our own minds. |
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
People being reported about because they enjoy Mangas?(Japanese comics) That is pretty annoying, considering that there is more than one social standard in the world, and many people prefer those alternative standards.
It seems that many parts of American society has become rather low-quality. While there are many good things to America, social standards are quite weak, when it comes down to preventing social stigma. Also, it seems that is difficult in America to see news from other lands, from their respective views. Also, it seems like that America is weakening over-all, though I may be wrong about that. In any case, a off-topic questions: Should the United States have annexed Iraq?(to conquer, with the intent of keeping the conquered item.) |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
what's wrong with mango's? i like mango's.
actually, i can't really remember wether i like mango's. i think i do. i think i should go to bed. |
Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
I suppose I am fortunate in some respects due to the area in which I live. I get the usual number of U.S. stations by VHF antenna (no cable or satellite), but I am also able to receive two Canadian stations. At least that allows me to get a little different perspective than watching either alone. It makes me wish I still had a short wave radio. You can hear around the world with one of those.
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Re: OT: Eithics and the new NEWS
I, too, feel for you AT, and have been feeling that way for 20 years or more.
The fact is, the news reporters get it wrong! People who know what they are talking about in their field of expertise will tell you the newsmen got it wrong on a story in that field. I've heard this from many friends expert in a particular subject, from writers, even from someone on these forums but most especially I've seen it myself in my own field of expertise. Invariably if you know what you're talking about you quickly realize the newsmen don't. In fact, they don't have a clue. I'm beginning to think even the newsmen know this and that's just another reason they have resort to "fluff" reporting. I watch the news occasionally, but I've developed a good bull***t filter. |
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