I'll admit it, I'm a news junkie. If I turn on the television, I’ll switch to a news channel first. I have always been a very trusting person, and I’m very likely to believe whatever I hear someone say, because why would they lie to me?
I’m very likely to believe someone that looks me right in the eye, person to person, and tells me something. That feeling of trust goes away to a certain extent when I’m watching the news on TV. After all, they are getting paid big money to put the news on the air, and they are more likely to slant the news toward the most favorable sponsor.
This political season I’ve become very confused by what I’ve been hearing on TV, and I wonder why is there this huge disparity between what one station says and another, and one newscaster and another? When was the last time that you ever really trusted what a newsperson was telling you?
Do you trust the news coming out of Iraq? Real news out of Iraq is life or death decision making information. How could anyone with a conscience lie to us about what is happening in Iraq? But, the news you hear from some reporters directly conflicts what others say.
Without going into which channels “sponsor” which candidates, I will tell you that it is apparent to any but the most naïve person that there is an obvious bias toward “their candidate”. Bias to the point that I keep expecting the candidate to end the news broadcast with; “This is So and So, and I approve this message”.
I think that what offends me the most, is the self righteous defense of the first amendment by the talking heads. They blather on endlessly about their right to present the news without interference from anyone. They pontificate that, never, never, whatsoever, should anyone even hint that they should change their stories for any reason. I’ve have always honored that right. I think that to receive the truth, our reporters should not be interfered with, no matter how much we don’t like what we are hearing. One would think that it would occur to these people that with great privilege comes great responsibility. Seldom do you hear them say that they try hard to bring us the truth, and say it in a context that we can believe.
What distresses me most, is that what we hear in the media today is so diametrically opposed to what ever else we are hearing, that it just can’t be truth, and we lose faith in all of what we are hearing.
These are some of the most trying, and troubling times that we as Americans have ever been in. Sadly, we can’t get our news from trustworthy sources. How will we decide how to vote, how to honorably end the war? How to provide healthcare to the people that need it, bring jobs back to America? Make working for a living honorable and good paying again?
Sometimes I think that the people on TV should have their mouths washed out with soap. Maybe they could do it on Saturday Night Live, sadly, probably one of the more honest TV programs on television today.
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24 comments:
Ernie, my friend, What is news?
Whoever said Walter Conkite reported the news as truth? Or for that matter, whoever said Ben Franklin wrote the news as truth?
Or, William Randolph Hearst or Amy Goodman or Tina Fey?
News sources are more about SELLING information. And, everybody does it.
Fair and Balanced...
We Report, You Decide...
The Most Trusted Name in News...
Radio Without The Rules...
The Northcoast
News & Information Station..
People Powered Radio...
The War & Peace Report...
Everybody's Watching...
They're all biased because they are operated by humans.
Do you remember when the Minister of Information for Iraq during the beginning of the Bush invasion came on CNN and stated that the Iraqi Army has the US stopped on the outskirts of Bhagdad and then as the Iraqi Army was being driven back he would give animated reports of the Iraqi Army overpowering the US Army at the airport and that the infidels were being defeated?
It's all about selling information to people who will buy it.
There is no BEST place to get news...this is only your FAVORITE place to get news.
Call me old-fashioned, but I still trust newspapers.
I'm with you, Eko.
At least a newspaper is a quiet way to get the news.
I don't think that any of the papers can be believed outright. I read more than one paper before I form an opinion. Then I only believe that it is about half true.
I realize that personal opinions will differ, and I believe that all news articles should be signed. That way if you don’t believe what one reporter has to say, you can just not read it. Too many papers sign there pieces “Staff Reporter”, which is supposed to lead you to believe that the opinions of the editor are being forwarded.
The truth should be transparent, not shaded.
I'd bet that Robin was a good news writer.
Ah, but the truth is subjective. Or objective. Or relative. Or absolute. Or...
My truth may not be your truth... but it is true that Robin was a good news writer. <:
To newspapers!
And Ernie!
FOX NEWS IS THE ABSOLUTE worst offender. It's hard to believe one would look to them for objectivity. It's like the right has their own, very big news network that says just what they want to hear. What other station would continually use Barack HUSSEIN Obama?
They are wicked and there's nothing like them.
Mainstream media cannot be trusted.
This websites got some honest news.
http://www.infowars.com
Bunny, I've heard the same as you’ve said about fox, said about NBC and CNN also. We all like our favorite media source when they are saying the things that we like. Unfortunately we swallow a lot of crap that we shouldn’t be believing when they say bad things about the people that we don’t like. We should keep our eyes open and realize that all of the media sources are lying to us.
I don’t think that not watching TV, or not watching one or another channels is going to help. You should watch Channels that you don’t like, and realize that that is the same way some people feel about what you watch.
Anon, thank-you for the link. One more thing to worry about.
I don't want (or need) objectivity in my news, really. I just need the facts. I'll draw my own conclusions & make up my own mind, thank you, which is what newspapers used to assume readers wanted.
Newspapers also used to be very good at compartmentalizing everything: facts were on the front page, editorials were on the opinion page, public opinion was in the letters section, comics were in the comics section, Ann Landers' column was in the society section, & so on.
The front page & letters are still my favorite sections followed by the comics & classifieds.
I ignore most of TV "news" as I can't stand all the shouting of "idiot this" & "idiot that" on FOX & CNN & also because I have a hard time processing information that comes out of more than one mouth at once. I love a structured argument which is why I prefer letters to editors & blogs for public opinion. Nobody here can shout down anyone else... though they do try awfully hard to do that over at Rose's sometimes. I love it!
(-:
Suzy likes a structured arguement too LOL and if yuo wanna know the truth you also need to nkow th e truth abuot the truth. And the truth abuout the truth about the truth. And the truth abuot the truuth abuot the truth about the truth... til yuo are so far from the original truth that you bump yrsulf in the back of the head LOL...
ouch, but like when you watch a dvd
Suzy always likes to watch documentary movies and then i always luv to watch those blips abuot how thay made the movie cuz yuo know that the movies not really totally true -right? just putting it on film or whatever they put movies on makes it differant= right? like eko says they might take the eagle flying clip on a differant day than they shhoot the whatever and at a different location ... but then when they put it all together it looks more true but... but when you watch the blip about how they made the movei and everything then you are closer to what is true = rihgt? cuz then you know that they really shot the little baby cat at a differant time then they took the shot of the mama cuogar fighting the bear. And then you know if the animls are trained or what == right? but that is if they are telling the truth on the blip about how they make the movie. And but then Suzy wishes there was a blop abuot how they made the blip about how they made the movie if yuo know whatimean so i could see if they were giving us the true story or what ... that is if the blop was unbiased and everything like that and everything... LOL and then they should also --in order to get closer to the truth have a nuther blup about how they made the blop about how they made the blip about how they made the movie... but... the thing is --theres not enough time for the truth anymore -- life goes by too fast -- LOL, whew im getting tired just thinking about it all... LOL
and now it turns out that suzy was chosen for jury duty ... i wonder what thats all abuot?
ooxxoo,
s
Just remember Suzy, it's the judge that has to be sober. That leaves at lot of room for everybody else to do what they want.
By the way, just make sure you find me not guilty!
i think its important to remember when trying to call what side is up when you are talking about any size coin whether its a silver dollar or one of those wall street billion dollar bills. some people will always think its heads and some people will always call it tails. but its important to remember that everyone of those people is an american and has the right to choose whatever he or she wants. if you only want one side of the story maybe you can find a dictatorship to move to.
"...some people will always think its heads and some people will always call it tails.".
Nah. I always call it, Heads I win. Tails, you lose. Works every time.
As I said before, Suzy, my truth may not be your truth... we create our own realities & "escape" into the movies & such when, ahem, WE CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Ahahahahaha!
To filmmakers!
And Jack Nicholson!
Spy, I hear you, but what I think that I was trying to say is news people should deliver the news, not their opinion thinly disguised as news.
I don’t mind opinion, I can deal with opinion. What I do mind is the intentional lies, and quotes out of context delivered as news, that has the intention of turning the tables on a most important election.
Both sides are guilty. Proof of that is evident; just ask anyone who they are voting for and what newscast they watch. Candidates are bang-on parallel with the news casts. Coincidence? Not likely.
Fred, when I was a little Kid my grandfather would settle our little disagreements with “Heads I win, Tails you lose”. I could never understand why I always lost. I can hear him laughing in his grave.
"THE TRUTH? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH".
Ain't it the truth.
Thanks for that Robin!
As I said before, Suzy, my truth may not be your truth... we create our own realities & "escape".....
one billygoatgruff flew east
and one erniegoatgruff flew west
adn one suzygoatgruff flew over the Robins nest
LOL!
yrs trolly,
s
It's always weird to me to see those satellite pictures of my house on the 'net, Suzy... thanks for not dropping a gruff load on your way over!
BTW, that's a picture of Jack Nicholson from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (?)... what are you implying?!! (:
Ernie, why don't you do a post about movies? Favorite lines, songs, scenes, that sort of thing. Maybe it's overdone. Just looking for some lightness & sweet... oh, & truth!
i used to have this friend named jerry. actually, he was the neighborhood bully. we played tackle football against him all the time. but he loved to play roulette. i had the only roulette wheel in the neighborhood and i used to give him 0 and 00 and i would take red and black. he actually won once, but i wound up getting all his 1958 topps baseball cards. i still have them. so it's nice if you let them win once in a blue moon. it keeps them in the game.
Here's a news story that has been making the rounds:
From the MANITOBA HERALD, Canada
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada
has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols
to stop the illegal immigration. The possibility of a McCain/Palin
election is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear
they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of
sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing
their fields at night. 'I went out to milk the cows the other day, and
there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn,' said Manitoba
farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota . 'The producer was
cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and a free-range
chicken sandwich'
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield and other farmers erected
higher
fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers
that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. 'Not real effective,' he said.
'The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they
wouldn't give milk.' Some complained that it was curdled - a double blow to the
local economy because the liberals tend to buy up the raw milk, which they cant get
in the United States. "One problem leads to another", said Greenfield.
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals
near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive
them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. 'A lot
of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions,' an Ontario
border patrolman said. 'I found one carload without a drop of drinking
water.' They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though.'
When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often
protesting that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been
circulating about the McCain administration establishing re-education camps in which
liberals will be forced to shoot wolves from airplanes, deny evolution, and act out
drills preparing them for the Rapture.
In recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of
crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on
bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a
half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian
immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed
senior-citizen passengers on Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney hits to
prove they were alive in the '50s. 'If they can't identify the
accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age,'
an official said.
Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an
organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. 'I feel
sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them,' an
Ottawa resident said.
'How many art history and English majors does one country need?'
[Author Unknown]
Elaine, I don't care who you are, that's funny!
looks like elaine is right, all the liberals are moving to canada according to this you tube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIc8jdra0o
just so suzy knows, neal cassady spent a fire season iron peak mountain and wrote a poem called iron peak mountain.
"If they can't identify the
accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age,"
That would be Myron Floren! Did I win?
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