How Firearm Incidents are Reported by The Media

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Newton

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On this weeks local news, a Baltimore resident was shown being arrested on firearms charges - allegedly, he had been illegally manufacturing rifles in the basement of his row home.

The commentary ran something like this :

"Police arrested a male Baltimore resident today on suspicion of committing several firearms related offences, including the illegal manufacture of rifles. Police seized large amounts of highly explosive ammunition components, an official stated that there was sufficient material to blow up the entire neighborhood. Police also removed ammunition making equipment and several bags of firearms components. Local residents were said to be shocked that such a thing could happen in their neighborhood. A police official was quoted as saying that the arrested individual was also suspected of having links to White Supremacist groups"

Is it me, or is there a "tone" present in all these reports.

Newton
 
ill betcha the media prob'ly thinks everyone on The High Road is a redneck anti govt white supremacist
that is if they knew we existed
the media has to make it sound sensational....and if the truth suffers...so e it......(to them)
besides.....anyone who would make a gun MUST be a white supremacist redneck anyway...i mean, who needs a gun
BSR
 
Everything seems so geared these days towards ''anti'' that not only does accuracy suffer, so does truth. It would appear that max shock value is the usual goal ... by use of buzz words such as ''high power'', high explosive'', assault'', arsenal, illegal, large amounts, people shocked, and many more.

For the most part these terms are used in an exaggerative manner or even totally inaccurately ...... the quest for the latter being all but non-existent ...... sensationalism being the prime objective.

It is sad indeed as well as angering, to see the bias so blatently shown ...... when with a small injection even of some balance, there are probably many people out there who might just ask a few more questions and also get a more balanced perspective on firearms ownership as a whole.
 
It seems like before the real story comes out, it was always an "AK-47 Automatic Assault Rifle". Then we find out it was some guys shotgun.
 
If you don't understand anything else, understand this: The media, meaning teeeeveee, newspapers, movies, magazines, are all owned and controlled by the Marxist Socialists. They seek one thing and one thing only, the total destruction of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, individual Rights, Freedom and Liberty, and the institution of their Great, Brave New Marxist Socialist Police State Utopia.

Therefore, all guns have to go. Demonization of all gunowners, turning them/us into "vermin" means we can someday -- soon, they hope -- be "exterminated." Afterall, isn't that what we do with "filthy vermin"???

It's really just that simple, and their Grand Plan has been being put into place for the past 90 years.

J.B.
 
including the illegal manufacture of rifles
and
Police seized large amounts of highly explosive ammunition components, an official stated that there was sufficient material to blow up the entire neighborhood.
and
Police also removed ammunition making equipment and several bags of firearms components.
and
A police official was quoted as saying that the arrested individual was also suspected of having links to White Supremacist groups"
Reads to me like semi-keestered journalism. Serial assertions bordering on hearsay.

Please follow the story and post when details are develop.
 
Therefore, all guns have to go. Demonization of all gunowners, turning them/us into "vermin" means we can someday -- soon, they hope -- be "exterminated." Afterall, isn't that what we do with "filthy vermin"???


:banghead: Mr Bakerr,
You sound like you have been listening to the short wave again.
My question to you is: what militia group are you a member of and where do you people come up with this crap???:cuss:
 
I work for a tv news station. And it's not so much anti-Second Amendment, but as was pointed out, it is sensational. TV News looks for drama in a story.

Just as the old saying goes, "If it bleeds, it leads."
 
"Police seized large amounts of highly explosive ammunition components, an official stated that there was sufficient material to blow up the entire neighborhood."


Wow! There must of been a tractor trailer load of black powder in the residence. :D
 
If you don't understand anything else, understand this: The media, meaning teeeeveee, newspapers, movies, magazines, are all owned and controlled by the Marxist Socialists. They seek one thing and one thing only, the total destruction of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, individual Rights, Freedom and Liberty, and the institution of their Great, Brave New Marxist Socialist Police State Utopia.
hihi.gif


I work in television. I have yet to find a copy of the 'Evil Marxist Overlord's Guide to Dominating the USA Through the Media' laying on the program director's desk. News reporters and producers are critical of guns and gun owners for one very simple reason: ignorance. They simply don't know any better. As such, I have a couple of reporters who I consider friends and they have all expressed surprise at my owning of guns. As one friend put it, "You're normal, all of the gunowners I've met have all been freaky."

Guess what?

Posting ignorant drivel about Marxist conspiracy theories on the internet is one of the things that causes reporters and others to look at the gun culture and think we're a bunch of back-woods idjits who are still waiting for the Y2K bug to kick in.

I'm sick and tired of having to explain that the conspiracy nuts and morons whose tin-foil beanie is obviously on so tight that it's constricting blood flow to their brains are not representative of the typical American gun owner.

:fire:
 
I must agree there is ignorance in the media about guns, the gun culture, and civil rights associated with the Second Amendment. I also agree those who wear tin foil hats do the movement no good.

That said, every movement has its extremes. Every facet of life has it extremes. It is in my view the job of the media to ignore the extremes yet that seems to be where it gravitates. "If it bleeds, it leads." There is a station here in my city that broadcasts nothing but blood, fire, and gore. And that is called responsible journalism.

Another factor which must be addressed is the phenonomon of deliberately imposed ignorance. Caused by what? How 'bout editorial policy which mandate nothing positive about firearms ever makes it to the air? How 'bout "journalists" who literally fear the NRA AND WILL NOT PICK UP THE FREAKIN' PHONE and get a comment. Or how 'bout the "journalist" who feels it acceptable to go to an anti-gun group to get the NRA's position on an issue. Or how 'bout the "journalist" who writes a piece (and passes muster with the editor) chocked full of factually incorrect statements, yet it gets passed as fact. Or how 'bout (my personal favorite) the reportage of a shooting that deliberately omits any reference to the use of firearms in the stopping of it.

Yep, you're correct when you chastise the tin foil hat brigade. But is seems to me "journalism" needs to clean it own skirts.
 
The Media Has To Start Being Honest!

Justin,

Like you, I believe most news stories, that are reported incorrectly, are done so out of ignorance on the subject matter. But I also believe that the need to increase viewer ship, personal bias and the lack of time to accurately report the "facts" are also contributing factors. Errors reported in the news, that boost ratings, are unlikely to be corrected.

That’s how an apartment that home made fireworks were produced in, becomes a “BOMB FACTORYâ€. That’s how a rifle that shoots 22lr becomes a “SNIPER WEAPONâ€. That’s how a rifle that shoots a round too weak to be used as a deer cartridge in most states can be labeled a “HIGH POWERED†rifle. That’s how a collection of old bolt action rifles can be come a “Military Weapons Cacheâ€. That’s how a shotgun with a twenty-eight inch barrel and pistol stock becomes a sawed off shotgun.

It’s the fact that the information is incorrect, misleading, and damaging to we gun people, while benefiting those that are lying (and lack of intrest in reporting accurate facts is lying), which feed the “conspiracy nutsâ€.

If your friends are biased enough to think all gun people are not normal, what makes you think the gun people will trust your friends (and their friends), when they are so often wrong in a damaging way?

Respectfully,

jdkelly
 
I don't work in television or any other media outlet, but I do believe there is a concerted effort by some in the media to use the "news" in an effort to influence the viewpoint of the average citizen.

By having no first hand knowledge, I'm limited in gaining information from books. Of those, the most recent ones I believe to be truthful and accurate are...

Off With Their Heads: Traitors, Crooks & Obstructionists in American Politics, Media and Business by Dick Morris.

The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values by Tammy Bruce.

Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right by Ann Coulter.

Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism by Ann Coulter

BIAS: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News by Bernard Goldberg.

To head off any accusations I only read one side of the issue, I have also read the most recent additions to modern fantasy fiction...

Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Clinton Wars by Sidney Blumenthal.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.
 
NewsShooter, you advertise your supreme stupidity with that diatribe against me. We're ALL in the militia, which proves you've never bothered to read the Second Amendment, or, if you have, you are totally incapable of comprehending it. Nor, do you know the definition of "militia," other than what your left wing masters in the media have defined for you.

Groups?? I belong to none, other than the NRA... and having been a member of that "militia group" since 1951, have seen the deliberate demonization of gun owners, by the media, over a long period of time.

This was accelerated in late 1963, after President Kennedy was assassinated, and has been increasing at an increasing rate, ever since. Even then, the media began a feeding frenzy against "gunowners", blaming us for Kennedy's death. Where do I come up with "this stuff?" You ignorant bliss ninny. I've not only watched it happen for 40 years, I've studied Marx and Lenin (and I don't mean "Groucho" & "John"), and know how the Marxist doctrine is used to manipulate people. The brainwashing propaganda comes from the media, and the education system, mainly.

(After the Berlin Wall came down, and many were crying "Communism is Dead, hoorah!" the L.A. Times (better known as Pravda West), interviewed a Stanford Professor of Sociology (what else?), who stated that he was a card carrying member of the Communist Party, along with another 10,000 U.S. professors at universites and colleges, and that the Soviets didn't do it right. When the American Communists finally took over, they'd "do it right", in the U.S.)

As for shortwave, I haven't played around with that since I was in the U.S. Army, and that was a loooongg time ago. I like the "oldies-but-goldies" on AM. Should I get a SW?? You probably know which ones are best.

I find it interesting that you, and your soulmate in ignorance, Justin, have no comprehension how this orchestrated demonization has taken place. Today, most Marxist Socialist inspired people call themselves "progressives" (a word straight from V.I. Lenin, one he (and Stalin) used to describe those in accordance with his and his good buddy, Karl's, doctrine. One of the tactics of international communist progression, was to eventually control the media.

You oughta take some time off from fawning over the New York Times, L.A. Times, and their ilk, and listening to the blather of that admitted Progressive Socialist Democrat Walter Cronkite (and his little anchor sycophants on the networks) who stated in a long feature piece in the L.A. Times, if he were President, he'd institute a Communist Government and use the U.S. Military to confiscate every gun in the U.S. Then read Marx, Lenin, and Mao. Might give you more than just a usual education.

Just for cheets & grins, you two denialists might also read, among other things, "The Sword and The Shield, The Mitrokhin Archive And The Secret History Of The KGB, by Christorpher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin." Yeah, yeah, I know, he was just another tin hat conspiracy freak... except, Mitrokhin was a KGB Colonel for many years, and was as inside the communist movement as one can get, and details the infiltration of the American media by the Marxists. Or, read the book, "Radical Son," by David Horowitz, a former communist radical, son of American Communists. Read James Bovard's "Lost Rights." Or, "Treason," and "Slander" by Ann Coulter. Or any number of books that have been written about the takeover of the media by the American "progressives."

But, I know you won't. Ignorance is bliss, so you'lll just meander along, thinking the only reason your "good buddies" in the media continue with their "verminization" of YOU, as gunowners, is that they're just not well informed enough about firearms, for if they were, they would not lie consisitently about them and honest gunowners. Their brainwashing propaganda is there for a purpose, although you're too enamoured with your own "tight knit community of media members" to admit it.

And, as for you, Justin, being "in the teeeveee medium," and therefore ohhh sooo well informed... if you wanna meet some real, heavy duty communists "in the media", I could introduce you to quite a few I know in Hollywood. You see, you smug little "medium member," I've been in the teeeeveee/movie racket for PROBABLY, more years than you and NewsShooter put together. (Try since 1963.)

So, if you two naive, foolish, arrogant, holier-than-thou know-nothings wanna keep up with your juvenile insults, just include me in -- to paraphrase Sam Goldwyn. I'll come along for the ride.

J.B.
 
Wow!




I've noticed something about perceptions of the media...

For every person I hear complaining about the liberal media and their socialist agenda, etc. I've heard an equal number of liberals complaining about the conservative media run by right wing, evil Republican corporations skewing the news to make Bush look like a saint and going out of their way to demonize the Clintons or any other Democrat.
 
Jay Bakerr -- I'm an associate editor at a mid-sized newpaper in a mid-sized state. So there goes your argument.

I find most reporters -- even ones that are intelligent otherwise - are completely stupid when it comes to guns. I believe most reporters have a liberal or slightly left-of-center bias on sopcial issues, and that any interest in guns has been relegated to that small, dark corner in their minds set aside for other "bad" things.

I just complained to an associate Thursday evening about an Associated Press report in which the reporter described the capture of some high-powered (there's that word again) rifles in a city apartment -- "powerful enough to shoot through a wall," the reporter wrote. Of course, hammers can go through walls, as can the occaisional fist.

And re: the media wanting to take over the world... I'll be happy to talk about this at length on this forum, but not tonight, as it's bedtime for my infant daughter. But let me just say that most "media" outlets are owned by corporations that seek one thing: more money. And it doesn't make any difference if it's reality shows or game shows or soap operas or conservative talk shows or violent police dramas -- if there's an audience and it will make a buck, so be it. And the line between news and adversiting is all but gone.

That does not, IMHO, represent some liberal/socialist/call it what you will agenda to rule the world. If it was, how do you explain Fox, the Wall Street Journal, Rush Limbaugh, etc. etc.?
 
If it was, how do you explain Fox, the Wall Street Journal, Rush Limbaugh, etc. etc.?

That's easy. The Internet and Cable TV.

This removed the lock that ABC/NBC/CBS and the New York Times had on what news and how the news was presented to the American public.

If proof is needed, look at the recent war in Iraq. There were 600 embedded reporters among the troops reporting live from the front lines. The liberal media didn't like that.

An article in the New York Times reported "concerns have led some in television to question whether all the access was ultimately in the best interests of war journalism."

Jeff Greenfield of CNN stated, "These real-time images of combat are indeed compelling. The hard question is, do they inform us or unintentionally mislead us?"

An op-ed in the New York Times went so far as to claim the embedded reporters were actually the administration's way of manipulating the news media.

What was it they didn't want us to see?
 
Ok, first off, at no point did I deny that the dominant media/news sources lean to the left. What I find patently offensive is the assertation that there is some sort of hierarchical conspiracy to take over the media and make it the mouthpiece of socialists. Sorry, but that's just a little too 'Pod People' for me.

...I've studied Marx and Lenin (and I don't mean "Groucho" & "John"), and know how the Marxist doctrine is used to manipulate people.
Yeah? So have I. Your point being?

I find it interesting that you, and your soulmate in ignorance, Justin, have no comprehension how this orchestrated demonization has taken place.
No. All I'm asking for is verifiable proof that there is an overarching hierarchy of Marxists and socialists trying to take over the media through some sort of nefarious conspiracy. I don't have time for hearsay and conjecture.
Today, most Marxist Socialist inspired people call themselves "progressives"
Yeah, and? I long ago made the mental connection between a person calling themselves a 'progressive' and their ravingly socialistic leanings.

You oughta take some time off from fawning over the New York Times, L.A. Times, and their ilk, and listening to the blather of that admitted Progressive Socialist Democrat Walter Cronkite (and his little anchor sycophants on the networks)
*Yawn* So are you just going to sit there and make hints, or do you actually have the wherewithall to come right out and try to call me a commie? C'mon, I dare ya's.

Just for cheets & grins, you two denialists might also read, among other things, "The Sword and The Shield, The Mitrokhin Archive And The Secret History Of The KGB, by Christorpher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin
I'm familiar with the book, and with some of the information contained therein. I've not had a chance to read it yet, though based on my impressions, it's a truthful look at what the Russians were up to during the Cold War, up to and including buried KGB weapons caches in the continental US. But then, the Russian system fell to the triumph of capitalism, as did, I would assume, their attempts to infiltrate the US media.
But, I know you won't. Ignorance is bliss, so you'lll just meander along, thinking the only reason your "good buddies" in the media continue with their "verminization" of YOU, as gunowners, is that they're just not well informed enough about firearms, for if they were, they would not lie consisitently about them and honest gunowners. Their brainwashing propaganda is there for a purpose, although you're too enamoured with your own "tight knit community of media members" to admit it.
Tell you what, how about we make a little wager. I'll go and ask the various reporters, producers, photogs, etc. that I work with. If any of them are card-carrying members of the American Communist Party, or YS, or whatever, I will bow to your superior wisdom.

So, if you two naive, foolish, arrogant, holier-than-thou know-nothings wanna keep up with your juvenile insults,
There's the pot calling the kettle black...
 
If it was, how do you explain Fox, the Wall Street Journal, Rush Limbaugh, etc. etc.?
Nothing more than a triumph of the free market. When people got fed up with the mainstream media, there were those who decided to start media outlets with a different point of view. Even if the Reds had invaded every single media outlet in the country, they would be continually fighting a losing battle by trying to infiltrate those media outlets that sprang up to present an opposing point of view.
 
I agree, it's the dollars. If right now it's a money-maker to have a conservative talk radio show, you can bet ur bootie that's where any media corporation will put their efforts. Here's how I see it:

If I got into a car wreck at pretty much any given time, and there was a reason for the media to be there, you can bet the first thing they would mention is that my car contained guns, and enough ammo to hold off police for a few days. If I even think I will be stopping at the range I pack a few guns and a ton of ammo. Of course there will be no mention of a carry permit, or that all these guns were bought legally, or that I haven't had so much as a traffic ticket since 1979. Or that the ammo is mostly .22 rimfire. The gun and ammo part will be enough of a sensation to make news and to turn me into some crazed killer,who God forbid, owned several guns.

I kinda liken the cable news craze to the current trend toward charter scools and the effort to receive vouchers to send your kid there.

Cable news came into the market and is kicking the crap out of network news. I believe competition begets a higher quality of the product it represents.
The public schools have their feet to the fire right now because of the threat of lower enrollment. If the voucher program ever goes through, some public schools will be screwed.

Maybe not a great comparison, but it's how I perceive it.
 
Gotta ring in on this one !!

OK, got my nomex suit/boots/hood on so flame away.

Yep, a LOT of is is ignorance on the part of the 'reporters' 'cause 1) many are simply too da**ed lazy to dig out facts & 2) they think they already know everything.

No, there probably isn't a 'Marxists Guide to Taking Over the World' BUT the media in general gives this impression. They are like a school of fish that turn in unison. There is no single overriding guidance causing this but it sure looks that way when you watch it. (the student at a law college several months ago who was stopped by 2 or 3 gun carrying students - the fact that other armed students stopped him was only reported in 4 of several hundred newspaper articles)

Most stories are reported in the same terms (emotional/sensational) for rating/dollars. And MANY are simply factually wrong. I LOVE the ones about how a gun fired in a modern airliner will cause it to crash (Simply NOT true) BUT many people get much of their information from the 'news' and believe everything that Peter/Dan/Tom say is true and factual.

Most liberals do not like to have their ideas questioned and therefore find it easier to work in a field where this rarely happens. Ever notice how many of the liberal columnists do not give email addresses and in many cases not even the email address for the editor ? They can simply say what they feel/think whether factual or not a get away with it. (Jason Blair ring a bell - if you pick up a haystack and a needle falls out, you can bet that haystack is loaded with needles !!)

Point I'm trying to make is that many in the media believe that they know what's best for the rest of us. They seem to decide consiously or otherwise that they need enlighten we poor uneducated neanderthals and the best way to do that - Gee, I'll become a writer, news anchor, editor, publisher whatever and help the world see the light.
 
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