OT: Eithics and the new NEWS

Atrocities · #1 February 19th, 2004, 07:28 AM

Rant To Follow. Read At Own Risk

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 ]

Instar · #2 February 19th, 2004, 07:45 AM

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

narf poit chez BOOM · #3 February 19th, 2004, 07:58 AM

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.

[ February 19, 2004, 05:58: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

PvK · #4 February 19th, 2004, 08:19 AM

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 ]

se5a · #5 February 19th, 2004, 09:01 AM

well said AT!
hell we have some nasty flooding going on in NZ, why dont they report that!

General Woundwort · #6 February 19th, 2004, 11:18 AM

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?!?!

Karibu · #7 February 19th, 2004, 01:11 PM

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.

Where is the intelligence of this?? Luckily, this is stand-alone thing, but I fear there might be more in the future...

[ February 19, 2004, 11:12: Message edited by: Karibu ]

David E. Gervais · #8 February 19th, 2004, 01:14 PM

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!

Cipher7071 · #9 February 19th, 2004, 05:21 PM

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).

Greybeard · #10 February 19th, 2004, 06:42 PM

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 ]