The MSM (Main Stream Media)

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Leisher
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The MSM (Main Stream Media)

Post by Leisher »

Trump says the press is the enemy.

This is NOT a Trump thread, so leave that stuff out (I'm looking at you Malcolm).

It got me to thinking that, his sanity aside, is it possible that he's right? Generally speaking. For example: You can say "most" marriages end in divorce because the number is 51% or "most" Americans live off government handouts to survive as that number is around 57-59%.

So, generally speaking, has the MSM become more of a detriment to our society than an important tool?

The MSM is how the vast majority of Americans get their news, but when opinion pieces are treated as news, studies and surveys show that the MSM is biased one way or the other, and when the MSM is for profit doesn't that equal bad things?

Have we reached a point where solid investigative journalism has been trumped by ratings and clicks? Have personal politics taken over legit news sources?

These CANNOT be new concepts because people didn't develop opinions overnight and media didn't just become a business. However, is it a far greater problem now as traditional outlets struggle and new outlets, including fake ones, latch onto the cash cow?
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

Leisher wrote: Have we reached a point where solid investigative journalism has been trumped by ratings and clicks?
That line got crossed way back in the day. I seem to remember something about, "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war."
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Vince
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Post by Vince »

I think our knowledge of history makes a lot of this seem like it's new. The notion of a "fair and unbiased press" is something that showed up in the 20th century. You can still see the evidence of the "so-and-so Democrat" or the "this-or-that Republican" as names of newspapers. They just told you right their in the top of the fold what their bias was.

Personally, I think Universities taught the notion of a "free and unbiased press" because they wanted everyone to believe that (including the journalists) while at the same time indoctrinating them with a particular world view that would ensure they got the stories they were looking for.
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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

I believe that the MSM are actively trying to destroy the country, at this point. I have no idea to what end. Being proven right, maybe.
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Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

GORDON wrote: I believe that the MSM are actively trying to destroy the country, at this point. I have no idea to what end. Being proven right, maybe.
They're actively trying to make money and compete for the most eyes watching them. Anything else is pretty incidental.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
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Post by GORDON »

And stir up shit until there are new riots every other week, and then say "See, we told you that fucker was dividing the country."

Almost every time trump has done something that has caused a massive uproar, someone has pointed out, "Yeah, obama did that, too," and no one has batted an eye.

Trump aint wrong, they are after him.
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Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

Because he damn near literally wears clothes with huge targets on them.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Vince
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Post by Vince »

GORDON wrote: Almost every time trump has done something that has caused a massive uproar, someone has pointed out, "Yeah, obama did that, too," and no one has batted an eye.
I'm okay with pointing that out, but only up to a point. Many of the people defending Trump for doing this stuff was rightfully condemning it when Obama did it. You can't on the one hand say the media is wrong for not having condemned it with Obama if you aren't also now condemning it with Trump. I'm all for saying, "Yeah, he shouldn't be doing that. Where have you been the last 8 years?"
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Post by GORDON »

I didn't even know Obama was deporting immigrants, and closing travel from certain countries, much less have an opinion about it. It wasn't getting reported.

I remember the photos of shirtless Obama in Hawaii, though. He was dreamy.
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TPRJones
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Post by TPRJones »

I think the idea of unbiased journalism was something that only small mom-and-pop local papers believed in back in the day. For the big companies selling newspapers with the kids shouting headlines on the street corner it was never a consideration, they have always been about money and only money.

Then along comes TV news and there was a brief time in the early days where that unbiased journalism thing seemed to have some real sway there. Maybe through about the early 1960s at most, though, and then it was all downhill from there. You could still find a little unbiased journalism around in little pockets here and there until as late as the late 1990s, but by the turn of the century they were all gone and it's been about money and only money.

Now there are some little websites that try to carry on that long-beleaguered tradition. But nobody will believe they are unbiased because of course everyone online must by definition be biased, right?
Last edited by TPRJones on Wed Mar 01, 2017 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by TheCatt »

I only trust the Wall Street Journal.
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Alhazad
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Post by Alhazad »

Six corporations own 90% of U.S. media, as of 2012. This is a huge part of what causes 'media bias' to be a problem.

If hundreds of individually-owned news outlets exist (and perhaps more importantly, if very few nation-wide outlets do), it matters much less that any one is biased because collectively, they shout each other down.

When Bill Clinton green-lit massive media consolidations, he enabled the ascendancy of one kind of biased media -- the corporate mouthpiece. Not right or left, but solidly in the neoliberal center because that's what's most profitable for the corporate owners.
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Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

U.S. warplane shoots down Syrian jet near Raqqah
US fighter jet downs Syrian plane in Raqqa province
Of the two headlines above, which do you think is the LA Times and which is Aljazeera?

You want to see further stupidity? Go on FB and check out the left wing comments about this incident. US and it's coalition partners say the Syrian jet bombed coalition troops. Syria says they were bombing ISIS. Guess whose word the lefties take at face value?
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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Post by TheCatt »

I'm guessing the LA Times is using the world "warplane"
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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

assault jet
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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Differences in coverage:

Whan a schizophrenic shot Democrat Gabby Giffords because he thought the govbernemnt was trying to mind control him, there was a ton of media criticism of Sarah Palin about hateful Republican rhetoric.

WHen a dude with a kill list of 6 other republicans in his pocket tried to kill a republican politician.... Interesting for about a day, but then *crickets*

https://twitter.com/FactSmacker/status/ ... 45/photo/1

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/877 ... 21/photo/1

https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/877 ... 01/photo/1

I dare anyone to claim there ins't a double standard, and journalism isn't full of partisan hacks that happen to think we're all idiots.... and that they're half right.
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Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Some people want it bad.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

And the Times makes plenty of.inference that the editor is Trump's buddy.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
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