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A note on the majority of traditional media: they sell emotions. Anger, joy, agreement, disagreement--their goal is to get you riled up so you keep watching, drive their ratings up and pad their income ledger. The only time they concentrate on the most important issue at hand is coincidence, they don't give context and they certainly don't give grounded analysis.
Instead of watching the evening news, watch a movie. They're better at being entertaining and they don't have advertisements. If you want news, go online and look at different news sites. Explore multiple articles online for each topic & choose sites who you agree with, and more importantly, who you don't agree with. Read them both, mill over perspectives, and Google things which arouse curiosity or for which you lack comprehension.
Of course, if you just want topics to think about and to be inundated with a ridiculously moderate viewpoint on everything then turn on the TV and expose yourself to it. And while you're at it, start smoking too.
I wish I could chase them all around with a sharp stick.
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You are from the US. You have the right to say this. American news coverage is about as informative as a reality show or a soap-opera.
However, there are countries where the media is not that bad and you can use it a source of information.
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I was thinking about this the other day. Regular media usually have a bias and only report on issues that fit the narrative. Commercial news programs send stuff about how unemployment can be fixed if we cut social securities and benefits or how you can safe guard your house against deadly somethings. It always feels like you're watching something from the 80's.
On the other hand, there is Radio. Lately I've been listening to public broadcast radio and I'm baffled at the amount of objective journalism and reporting that goes on. In a day you can be informed on all the major issues, questions dealing with life, religion and existence (without a Christian agenda), the latest science news, consumer rights, gardening etc. After listening to the radio, I really can't take regular news seriously at all. Trying to do a 2-minute analysis by an expert falls flat on its face compared to a 10 minute report followed by another 10 minute discussion on the radio. If it's a critical issue, like say the Wikileaks document leakage, they can easily set aside an hour and discuss every side of the issue. Highly recommended.
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On July 28 2010 18:58 ggrrg wrote:
You are from the US. You have the right to say this. American news coverage is about as informative as a reality show or a soap-opera.
However, there are countries where the media is not that bad and you can use it a source of information.
EXCELLENT post! Man, good job! Damn! :D
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The TV news in Croatia was decent back when there was only the national television. Now with the commercial channels, even the national television started to sell their dramas..
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On July 28 2010 18:58 ggrrg wrote:
You are from the US. You have the right to say this. American news coverage is about as informative as a reality show or a soap-opera.
However, there are countries where the media is not that bad and you can use it a source of information.
I don't consider Bulgarian news media to be any good. But I haven't been in the US so I can't compare..
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17004 Posts
On July 29 2010 00:37 MER wrote:Show nested quote +On July 28 2010 18:58 ggrrg wrote:
You are from the US. You have the right to say this. American news coverage is about as informative as a reality show or a soap-opera.
However, there are countries where the media is not that bad and you can use it a source of information. I don't consider Bulgarian news media to be any good. But I haven't been in the US so I can't compare..
The only thing America has going for it is relatively more freedom than the press in some other countries (like China. rofl). The quality and fact-checking of mass-media "journalism" of the kind you see on Fox News is trash, and most of it is sensationalist non-news that preys on the vast number of (for lack of a better term) ignorant people in the country.
The print media is much better, though. Quality journalism from respected institutions like the Economist magazine or the Wall Street Journal (and even more accessible publications like TIME magazine or the New York Times) is still there. Even smaller, local newspapers are generally very good about overt bias and getting their facts straight. American publications are top notch. TV/radio not so much.
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Problem with reading the Times is that you will miss about a third of the stories that are favorable towards conservatives. ie. They won't cover them.
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m/ed/ia.... m/af/ia.... it's only two letters difference....
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On July 29 2010 00:42 Empyrean wrote:American publications are top notch. TV/radio not so much.
It's funny because when I was in Scotland for uni everyone was like don't read the papers they're all tabloids, just watch BBC.
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On July 29 2010 01:46 dyren wrote:
m/ed/ia.... m/af/ia.... it's only two letters difference....
LOL WTF
That's not how etymology works
O___________________O
I counter all this by living in a place where nothing happens.
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17004 Posts
On July 29 2010 01:50 Southlight wrote:Show nested quote +On July 29 2010 00:42 Empyrean wrote:American publications are top notch. TV/radio not so much. It's funny because when I was in Scotland for uni everyone was like don't read the papers they're all tabloids, just watch BBC.
American print journalism is some of the best in the world. The only potential gripe I have with it is that sometimes it feels like it has to present all sides of the issue, so it gives equal treatment to things such as alternative medicine and stuff like that.
And if people in Scotland think American print journalism is trash, I wonder what they'll think of MSNBC or Fox News? CNN's also a joke.
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TV news in Australia is pretty good if you stick to the ABC or SBS news.
Channel 7 is our Fox News.. just horrible trashy stories with no substance (eg "A CELEBRITY HAS HAD A BABY" was the top news story the other day). The current affairs program on 7 runs blatantly racist stories every second week. They enjoy bashing on gaming, condemning the internet, promoting their own shows in fake news stories and harassing people on the street with cameras.
They had a seemingly positive segment on gaming once but it was just a big commercial with people explaining that they loved buying the new version FIFA every year. They then talked about how "World of Warfare 2 is the biggest-selling game of all time". Quality stuff.
Channel 9 and 10 are in between.
I was pretty shocked that people actually watched and took Fox News seriously when I visited America. It is pretty much a global joke of a "news" station.
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On July 29 2010 03:20 vek wrote:
I was pretty shocked that people actually watched and took Fox News seriously when I visited America. It is pretty much a global joke of a "news" station.
Tens of millions of Americans literally believe in Fox News.
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Isn't it disturbing? Whenever I think about it I always end up back at my sharp stick idea.
I've been neglecting American radio! What stations are the good ones? 90.2? am/fm? Is there a way I can listen to it through my computer? I'll be searching for these answers too, so tune in next time~!
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17004 Posts
On July 29 2010 03:42 KurtistheTurtle wrote:
Isn't it disturbing? Whenever I think about it I always end up back at my sharp stick idea.
I've been neglecting American radio! What stations are the good ones? 90.2? am/fm? Is there a way I can listen to it through my computer? I'll be searching for these answers too, so tune in next time~!
NPR and its local affiliates are the only radio news stations you should be listening to. The station depends on where you are, but American stations end in odd decimals O_o
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I would think that it's because people buy emotions.
I hate to be the guy who goes 'omg wake up sheeple', but sometimes I listen to other people's conversations and I find that I just can't understand the way that their minds work. It's an eerie feeling.
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On July 29 2010 00:37 MER wrote:Show nested quote +On July 28 2010 18:58 ggrrg wrote:
You are from the US. You have the right to say this. American news coverage is about as informative as a reality show or a soap-opera.
However, there are countries where the media is not that bad and you can use it a source of information. I don't consider Bulgarian news media to be any good. But I haven't been in the US so I can't compare..
Actually my first statement was targeted at German media. The national TV stations as well as some major newspapers offer pretty decent and completely unbiased news coverage.
Bulgarian TV news coverage might be rather unprofessional, but American news channels are biased as hell, often enough factually wrong and some of them simply spew propaganda 24/7. The most listened radio shows in the US are basically brainwashing. However, I don't know what the quality of the printed media is.
Empyrean's comments give a pretty good insight, by the way.
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BATHE THE COUNTRY IN BLOOD
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Canadian news is just as bad, printed and television, at least in my opinion. I mostly just read news to have something to talk about, I'm so sad 
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NPR is great in terms of objectivity, as well as offering other less commonly encountered tidbits of interest mixed in [music, culture, etc].
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you can sense bad media a mile off.
just another thread to bash on america, created by an american.
if you dont like certain media why not just steer clear? wtf
and i wouldnt exclude other countries from bad media, believe me.
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On July 29 2010 03:20 vek wrote:
TV news in Australia is pretty good if you stick to the ABC or SBS news.
Channel 7 is our Fox News.. just horrible trashy stories with no substance (eg "A CELEBRITY HAS HAD A BABY" was the top news story the other day). The current affairs program on 7 runs blatantly racist stories every second week. They enjoy bashing on gaming, condemning the internet, promoting their own shows in fake news stories and harassing people on the street with cameras.
They had a seemingly positive segment on gaming once but it was just a big commercial with people explaining that they loved buying the new version FIFA every year. They then talked about how "World of Warfare 2 is the biggest-selling game of all time". Quality stuff.
Channel 9 and 10 are in between.
I was pretty shocked that people actually watched and took Fox News seriously when I visited America. It is pretty much a global joke of a "news" station.
Or how about recently on 7 or maybe 10, 10 second segment, N Korean artilleried S Korea oh dear, 10 minute expose on Obama' TRAGIC split lip from playing basketball.
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On November 30 2010 02:52 Whitesheep wrote:
you can sense bad media a mile off.
just another thread to bash on america, created by an american.
if you dont like certain media why not just steer clear? wtf
and i wouldnt exclude other countries from bad media, believe me.
I can. You can. But these companies are huge, pervasive, and the majority of Americans (especially those from older generations) are just besieged by this awful shit. I have no problem watching them because I can do so critically...but when I hear grocery-mart conversations about anecdotal and mean-world syndrome shit it drives me CRAZY.
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EPT
