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Post by MC Blowfish on Jun 29, 2018 9:49:06 GMT -5
Don't watch US 24/7 TV news, it is mostly garbage. Some good investigative programs here and there. BBC coverage for global affairs is good. PBS is usually good. YMMV on local news. If you don't stay informed and vote though, you are failing in your duty as a citizen. Yes, but sometimes it feels like the ignorance is bliss statment may have a point... Until something happens that might effect you or your loved ones. Keep watching the news, but find multiple sources. Check out the Times and the Washington Post. Check out the BBC and PBS and definitely your local stations.
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Goldenbane
Hank Scorpio
THE G.D. Goldenbane
Posts: 7,331
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Post by Goldenbane on Jun 29, 2018 10:02:04 GMT -5
Kinda stunned people are recommending the BBC. From everything I've seen, they seem to have just as big an agenda as everyone else.
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Ultimo Gallos
Grimlock
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 14,415
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Jun 29, 2018 10:34:43 GMT -5
One thing that does really need to be emphasized is that crime is on the decline and has been for years. Media coverage would give you the impression that civilization has now devolved to a point between Robocop and Mad Max, which simply isn’t true. Sure, there are true hellholes in this planet, but we as a species actually have been trending towards getting along better. Better communication has enabled that, but it has also better enabled us all to realize every bad thing that happens. Those things are anomalies that are on the decline; we are just more aware of them. We as a species have more growing pains to deal with, but things are not as bad as the media would lead you to believe. I was gonna make a similar post. Crime and violent crime has been going down since at least the mid 90s. But with what 3 or 4 24/7 news channels they gotta have something to talk about. And stories about crime draw ratings.
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Post by madness50 on Jun 29, 2018 10:58:55 GMT -5
There is a reason I avoid politics and news channels as much as possible. It just makes me mad and just sad to see the division and constant bickering between parties and people with differing opinions. Despite political opinions, we are all human beings and we need to stand together, not apart because of political garbage. I stick with sports and entertainment because it makes me happy and also it is my job. I am a happier person for it. I wish more people would follow suit and I 100 percent agree with the OP.
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Post by Cyno on Jun 29, 2018 11:18:41 GMT -5
The evening news programs from CBS, NBC, ABC, etc. are usually alright for news, though be aware of any biases they might have. I don't think there's any real thing as truly unbiased news because we're human beings and we're going to interpret things differently. But those stations tend to keep it straight more often than not.
But the 24 hour stations are terrible. It's a sad state of affairs when late night talk show hosts and comedians can give a better take on current events than so-called news networks, and have been for over a decade.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Jun 29, 2018 11:19:18 GMT -5
Kinda stunned people are recommending the BBC. From everything I've seen, they seem to have just as big an agenda as everyone else. When it comes to the big thing that's dominated the U.K.'s news cycles for the last two years their agenda is pretty much I think they're much more reliable for everything else. Plus, compared to the tabloids here they're a a beacon of journalistic credibility.
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mattperiolat
King Koopa
Thank you, Brodie... for everything.
Posts: 11,445
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Post by mattperiolat on Jun 29, 2018 11:39:00 GMT -5
It’s taxing too. It does, especially over the last year or so, seem like a relentless pounding of bad news, to the point of being soul crushing. And here’s another angle too - it’s one thing to be angry over it all and lash out. The other option is surrender to depression. And if people think that’s a joke, remember the suicide rate in the US is climbing. Yes, it’s that bad. I wrestle with the black dog of depression frequently and am glad to have a day to just call it a draw these days.
God, the world as a whole needs a break, don’t we?
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jun 29, 2018 12:04:37 GMT -5
American news has always been designed to emphasize the worst of humanity. The problem has gotten worse over the years, the more that news divisions and their respective companies have tried to focus on “news as entertainment”. It's due to US media being driving first on making money. Views, readership, ratings, clicks, what have you, that is the first and foremost to the company. I'm not saying individual journalists are that way, but the machine behind them is, and that leads to sensationalism to drive profits up. I hope I'm being vague enough on this statement, but my major problem with modern politics is that it's becoming more and more like "sports'. "Yay, we won! Those losers on the other side lost. Beat them, beat them Rah Rah Rah!" Tribalism has always been a dangerous force in politics. This isn't new.
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Post by Stu on Jun 29, 2018 12:04:41 GMT -5
I'm a newspaper reporter and I have been for the past 15 years. I work for a medium-sized publication and I'm responsible for covering local/regional issues, although my stories occasionally appear in USA Today since we're owned by the same company. I wanted to briefly address the concerns in this thread. That's why I typically avoid the 24/7 news cycles. Please recognize the 24/7 news cycle is a different beast from other news outlets. The likes of CNN, Fox and MSNBC should not be representative of the news industry as a whole, although I understand why they get the lions share of attention. I also listen to the local news just for what's going on around my neck of the woods. Whereas national news shouldn't be ignored, local news typically has less of an agenda and is more likely to cover issues that directly affect you. Newspapers in particular are better sources of information than TV news and will more often than not provide more-detailed information. The evening news programs from CBS, NBC, ABC, etc. are usually alright for news, though be aware of any biases they might have. I don't think there's any real thing as truly unbiased news because we're human beings and we're going to interpret things differently. This is true. Everyone has a different interpretation of the facts and will accuse media outlets of having an agenda simply because we're not reporting stuff they want to hear. For example, readers think we're biased because we constantly run stories about immigration and the LGBT community. Those people don't realize (or choose to ignore) the fact that we run those stories because both groups make up a strong number of our population. That is all I'll say. Thank you for reading. And please support your local newspapers.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jun 29, 2018 12:29:47 GMT -5
There is a reason I avoid politics and news channels as much as possible. It just makes me mad and just sad to see the division and constant bickering between parties and people with differing opinions. Despite political opinions, we are all human beings and we need to stand together, not apart because of political garbage. I stick with sports and entertainment because it makes me happy and also it is my job. I am a happier person for it. I wish more people would follow suit and I 100 percent agree with the OP. More people following suit would be terrible for the country. Being disconnected frankly puts democracy at risk. It is one thing to disconnect from certain broadcasts. There is basically nothing useful about talking head shows on 24/7 news stations. You can't disconnect from politics though, not really. Laws effect you, your loved ones, and everyone. It will effect you whether you care to pay attention or not. You can't stay neutral on a moving train. Well that was a hard response to write without violating any rules, but I think I managed.
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Post by madness50 on Jun 29, 2018 12:40:44 GMT -5
There is a reason I avoid politics and news channels as much as possible. It just makes me mad and just sad to see the division and constant bickering between parties and people with differing opinions. Despite political opinions, we are all human beings and we need to stand together, not apart because of political garbage. I stick with sports and entertainment because it makes me happy and also it is my job. I am a happier person for it. I wish more people would follow suit and I 100 percent agree with the OP. More people following suit would be terrible for the country. Being disconnected frankly puts democracy at risk. It is one thing to disconnect from certain broadcasts. There is basically nothing useful about talking head shows on 24/7 news stations. You can't disconnect from politics though, not really. Laws effect you, your loved ones, and everyone. It will effect you whether you care to pay attention or not. You can't stay neutral on a moving train. Well that was a hard response to write without violating any rules, but I think I managed. Good points and it is hard to avoid violating rules with politics. Guess that’s why I avoid it lol.
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Post by Stu on Jun 29, 2018 12:45:14 GMT -5
There is a reason I avoid politics and news channels as much as possible. It just makes me mad and just sad to see the division and constant bickering between parties and people with differing opinions. Despite political opinions, we are all human beings and we need to stand together, not apart because of political garbage. I stick with sports and entertainment because it makes me happy and also it is my job. I am a happier person for it. I wish more people would follow suit and I 100 percent agree with the OP. More people following suit would be terrible for the country. Being disconnected frankly puts democracy at risk. It is one thing to disconnect from certain broadcasts. There is basically nothing useful about talking head shows on 24/7 news stations. You can't disconnect from politics though, not really. Laws effect you, your loved ones, and everyone. It will effect you whether you care to pay attention or not. You can't stay neutral on a moving train. Well that was a hard response to write without violating any rules, but I think I managed. This is all true. The key is finding a news source that provides well-rounded information. Unfortunately, a lot of people gravitate toward outlets that provide information fitting their ideologies and tell them what they want to hear.
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clifford
King Koopa
Shingo Takagi stan
Posts: 10,683
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Post by clifford on Jun 29, 2018 12:57:24 GMT -5
Amazes me how in 2018 news channels are still even relevant.
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Dub H
Crow T. Robot
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Post by Dub H on Jun 29, 2018 12:57:33 GMT -5
American news has always been designed to emphasize the worst of humanity. The problem has gotten worse over the years, the more that news divisions and their respective companies have tried to focus on “news as entertainment”. To be fair,it is much more than american. manipulation of any kind starts with news and sensalisation. here in my country there is only one big News channel only,called Globo. And one of the big sayings is"Who controls Globo,controls what happens".
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ayumidah
Wade Wilson
Don't bother pretending I seem fine, I like that I'm a mess
Posts: 27,082
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Post by ayumidah on Jun 29, 2018 13:28:57 GMT -5
That's why I typically avoid the 24/7 news cycles. Please recognize the 24/7 news cycle is a different beast from other news outlets. The likes of CNN, Fox and MSNBC should not be representative of the news industry as a whole, although I understand why they get the lions share of attention. Well, yeah, that's why I specified 24/7 news cycles. By what I've seen, our local news people seem ok-- I follow some of them on social media, and the local newspapers.
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Post by Stu on Jun 29, 2018 13:49:59 GMT -5
Please recognize the 24/7 news cycle is a different beast from other news outlets. The likes of CNN, Fox and MSNBC should not be representative of the news industry as a whole, although I understand why they get the lions share of attention. Well, yeah, that's why I specified 24/7 news cycles. By what I've seen, our local news people seem ok-- I follow some of them on social media, and the local newspapers. Sorry, that and my other comments were directed to everyone. Didn't mean to single you out.
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on Jun 29, 2018 14:14:53 GMT -5
I don't watch stuff like CNN or FOXNEWS anymore. They have taken Mean World Syndrome and cranked it into overdrive as they are designed to do now, making a viewer believe that the world is out to get them and that they are the only safety since they are a "reliable news source" and are made to "serve the public". Notice how FOX NEWS uses the word ALERT instead of BREAKING NEWS. ALERT in acts more panic to the view and makes them paranoid, so they will stay on the TV to be told what is "truth".
I do try to stay informed but I do so avoiding talking heads. There's a difference between just reporting the news and giving an opinion about it. 24 hour news use to be report news now it's picking sides and is more worried about getting an audience and dividing the public rather than truly informing them.
News today is like candy. It's ok to have sweets every now and then but having too much of it at once will make you sick.
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Post by The 1Watcher Experience on Jun 29, 2018 14:27:07 GMT -5
I don't watch stuff like CNN or FOXNEWS anymore. They have taken Mean World Syndrome and cranked it into overdrive as they are designed to do now, making a viewer believe that the world is out to get them and that they are the only safety since they are a "reliable news source" and are made to "serve the public". Notice how FOX NEWS uses the word ALERT instead of BREAKING NEWS. ALERT in acts more panic to the view and makes them paranoid, so they will stay on the TV to be told what is "truth". I do try to stay informed but I do so avoiding talking heads. There's a difference between just reporting the news and giving an opinion about it. 24 hour news use to be report news now it's picking sides and is more worried about getting an audience and dividing the public rather than truly informing them. News today is like candy. It's ok to have sweets every now and then but having too much of it at once will make you sick. The panic pushing has been out of control for a long time now. I can still remember being given various terrorism alerts for weeks after 9/11 happened. One day would be an orange alert, the next day a red alert. What did they really mean and what could we even do about it? No one ever really explained why we were being told that stuff. They just made sure they shoved it in our faces to try to make us watch more. That kind of alarmist behavior is ridiculous.
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Post by Sponsored by Groose Wipes on Jun 29, 2018 14:36:18 GMT -5
I don't watch stuff like CNN or FOXNEWS anymore. They have taken Mean World Syndrome and cranked it into overdrive as they are designed to do now, making a viewer believe that the world is out to get them and that they are the only safety since they are a "reliable news source" and are made to "serve the public". Notice how FOX NEWS uses the word ALERT instead of BREAKING NEWS. ALERT in acts more panic to the view and makes them paranoid, so they will stay on the TV to be told what is "truth". I do try to stay informed but I do so avoiding talking heads. There's a difference between just reporting the news and giving an opinion about it. 24 hour news use to be report news now it's picking sides and is more worried about getting an audience and dividing the public rather than truly informing them. News today is like candy. It's ok to have sweets every now and then but having too much of it at once will make you sick. The panic pushing has been out of control for a long time now. I can still remember being given various terrorism alerts for weeks after 9/11 happened. One day would be an orange alert, the next day a red alert. What did they really mean and what could we even do about it? No one ever really explained why we were being told that stuff. They just made sure they shoved it in our faces to try to make us watch more. That kind of alarmist behavior is ridiculous. It was about 9/11 when the 24/7 news stations were getting bad with this stuff. Everyone was scared at that time and the news stations learned they could use that fear and paranoia to their advantage and gain viewership. It's like a caveman learning how to make fire.
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Post by Cyno on Jun 29, 2018 14:56:31 GMT -5
I was a journalism major in college and a course I took as part of the major courseload was Media Ethics. In addition to everything else it taught, the professor did a really good job of teaching media literacy on top of it.
Media literacy should be something everyone should learn as it'd make for a much more aware and informed public who could see past sensationalizing and bias confirmation techniques used by the likes of political pundits and 24h news channels.
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