Media bias and semantics

[shooter429]

I watched a news report of "more gun violence" at a local mall where "two groups of friends" got into a fight and suddenly gunfire erupted. The shooter was described as a young boy who was with his freind. Of course I knew before they interviewed the participants who and what they all were-all mid-teenage, all African American and, yep, all gang members. The reporters never dissiminated this informtion or updated the gang affilliation, only reporting the horror as more senseless gun violence claimed the life of another innocent child and ravaged a community. The next news clip was the mayor vowing to ban guns.

Why don't they report two rival black gangs shoot it out in a mall with one banger dead and another wounded (but going to survive)? This kind of bias and obviouse misrepresentation by the media is maddening. Do no reporters report the news with all the facts in tact and without their political agenda attached? Ya cannot even call it news anymore.

Any thoughts on holding journalists to a higher standard

Shooter429

 

[7.62X25mm]

It's not news anymore. It's "infotainment" and marketed to sell audiences to advertisers.

Ever since the news department stopped being "broadcasting public service" and started being a "profit center" the news has turned to propaganda.

This shooting is not about "gun violence" it's about poor, ethnic, gang violence. It's probably drug related and drug driven.

Somebody needs to get that message to the Mayor.

I'm betting NONE of the guns used in the incident were legally possessed.

 

[Treo]

By & large the media is nothing more than the propaganda arm of the American socialist movement. It would be absolutely impossible to implement some of their social engineering schemes on an armed citizenry. therefore there is a constant attack on gun rights, the pro gun subculture ( when was the last time you saw a gun owner accurately portrayed on television) and gun owners. If we don't wake up soon and realize there's a culture war goinng on in our living rooms we're going to lose it.

 

[barry960]

It's funny how fast word got around about the Southcenter shooting. I was working, delivered to some guys who said they were in the parking lot and heard shooting all of a sudden, and they were kind of shook up about it. I listened to AM 1000 and the story was immediately confirmed, and the first thing I thought about was how this will be used by the 'do somethings' even though the incident was obviously involving bangers, being at the mall. Anyway, I'm glad KOMO radio didn't go all commie even though their TV brethren couldn't help themselves.

Also, I don't believe it's only a case of 'if it bleeds it leads' or 'info-tainment' when it comes to reporting things like this with an agenda. They could be reporting on tragedy and violence and get their ratings without propagandizing for the communist manifesto.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

If it hasn't been proven over and over and over again throughout the last presidential election.... There is no such thing as journalism any more!!!

Here is where Chris Matthews admits his agenda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BE150I0BQ0

Then, we have the admission by Charlie Rose and Tom Brokaw that they don't know anything about one of the Presidential candidates, LESS THAN A WEEK BEFORE THE ELECTION. Um, isn't that your job!?!?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMas1bVidw&feature=related

Isn't it a miracle (that's sarcasm) that the media was able to uncover more information about "Joe the Plumber" in 24 hours than they were able to unearth about one of the two presidential candidates in MONTHS!!! They don't care, and you can be sure they will not be factual.

 

[halfbreed808]

[By & large the media is nothing more than the propaganda arm of the American socialist movement. It would be absolutely impossible to implement some of their social engineering schemes on an armed citizenry. therefore there is a constant attack on gun rights, the pro gun subculture ( when was the last time you saw a gun owner accurately portrayed on television) and gun owners. If we don't wake up soon and realize there's a culture war goinng on in our living rooms we're going to lose it.
__________________
/QUOTE]


+1. Totally agree. I don't normally buy into conspiracy theories, but watching the way things are going lately, this one is not to far fetched.

 

[statelineblues]

Media Bias and CYA

Having worked in news for several years I can tell you that most news broadcasts don't identify people by race/ethnic/religous/urban status because the stations are afraid of getting sued. You will see broadcasts ID'ing someone as an "alleged" criminal even if they have video, witnesses, and a confession of that person committing the crime - sometimes even after they have been found guilty.

News editors (I was one) are told to keep it as sanitized and accusation-free as possible. That's where you get the "child was shot" story even tho the victim may have actually been a 6' tall, 250 lb, 17 year old gang member. And yes, bias on the part of the reporters/editors plays a part as well.

With the advent of 24-hour news channels and demand of broadcast corporations to make the news profitable (used to be the only area allowed to work in deficit was the news dept), everyone is rushing to fill their time with anything that will gather ratings. Accuracy and fairness take a back seat to rating numbers, and anyone who wants to keep their job (let alone advance) in the news business (and it is a business) tows the line.

Thrill and conflict get viewers - news has taken a lesson from the entertainment side of broadcasting - so they run with what will grab the most viewers, or what looks like it will scoop the compitition. Think of how many "The worst storm of the year approching!" stories turn into a rain shower. God forbid they under-report a story that turns out to be huge.

Sorry - enough rant. This (along with the horribly low pay) is one of the reasons I got out of the business.

 

[DiN_BLiX]

+1 everytime you hear a news story about an old man that lives alone dying of natural causes that happens to have a large gun collection, its always discribed as a 'arsenal'. The soulless reporters will put some hal witted neighbor on the tv that says "i had no idea there were so many dangerous guns there, im glad nothing every happened". Because we know for sure, that guns jump up and kill people on there own, just like SUVs have a mind of there own.

 

[Pilot]

Pretty much everyone is spot on. Between "Info-tainment" and being the left wing mouthpiece (except for talk radio and Fox), the media is a cesspool of wannabe social engineers. Demonize legal guns, not the criminals. Ridiculous.

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

Pretty much everyone is spot on. Between "Info-tainment" and being the left wing mouthpiece (except for talk radio and Fox), the media is a cesspool of wannabe social engineers...

Yep. and if the Dems have it their way, they will do away with talk radio through the Fairness Doctrine. Google it. Sounds really nice and fair, with a name like that, right? It's BS and a direct way to limit Freedom of Speech. Of course, they won't do that to the real information coming from TV, because they consider those reporters to be journalists