War on the motorist or media hype?
Discussion
In the light of several "news" stories recently, does anyone feel that the media are steering or creating news stories to further their own ends?
If they ARE doing this, isn't it harmful to society?
Reporting using headlines like the one I quoted in the topic title "THE WAR ON THE MOTORIST" surely engenders a response from readers who sympathise with the sentiment, and encourages them to "fight back".
This allows the media to sell more of their stories and of course increases exposure to advertising - the purpose of nearly all media outlets!
Today we have Sam Allardyce being exposed in a sting operation, supposedly claiming to be advising people how to circumvent FA rules... but it appears that the Telegraph failed to reveal the bit where Allardyce says he would have to "run the ideas past his bosses" before this could go ahead.. so a bit of a non story being used to increase the Telegraph's sales then!
So what about that war...? Take this headline from the Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3804440/Th...
Is there REALLY a need for a revolving number plate?
Well if you ARE involved in a war, surely you should employ every weapon in your arsenal, whether it is legal or not? By reporting "the war", the media are guilty of making it a reality, AND offering the motorist a means of fighting back!
Of course the authorities don't help matters - they ARE keen to get drivers who speed onto courses in order to raise income cut from their budgets. Everybody is getting a cut of this lucrative pie, with the AA reporting a £194 million profit despite a slump in customers.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article...
All those £44 fees for every driver on a SAC must add up! So far the media have been quiet on the part played by the AA in their "war", as the AA obviously advertise in the media!
The DVLA are on the front line, selling your information to parking companies to ensure that drivers are punished for transgressing the rules - it would appear that the number plate is a weak
in drivers armour - and the media are keen to report these skirmishes with parking companies who don't usually advertise in the media.
It is my assertion that we are being lied to and persecuted by many for financial gain with carefully baited traps like free parking for two hours, and media stories.
Discuss!
If they ARE doing this, isn't it harmful to society?
Reporting using headlines like the one I quoted in the topic title "THE WAR ON THE MOTORIST" surely engenders a response from readers who sympathise with the sentiment, and encourages them to "fight back".
This allows the media to sell more of their stories and of course increases exposure to advertising - the purpose of nearly all media outlets!
Today we have Sam Allardyce being exposed in a sting operation, supposedly claiming to be advising people how to circumvent FA rules... but it appears that the Telegraph failed to reveal the bit where Allardyce says he would have to "run the ideas past his bosses" before this could go ahead.. so a bit of a non story being used to increase the Telegraph's sales then!
So what about that war...? Take this headline from the Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3804440/Th...
Is there REALLY a need for a revolving number plate?
Well if you ARE involved in a war, surely you should employ every weapon in your arsenal, whether it is legal or not? By reporting "the war", the media are guilty of making it a reality, AND offering the motorist a means of fighting back!
Of course the authorities don't help matters - they ARE keen to get drivers who speed onto courses in order to raise income cut from their budgets. Everybody is getting a cut of this lucrative pie, with the AA reporting a £194 million profit despite a slump in customers.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article...
All those £44 fees for every driver on a SAC must add up! So far the media have been quiet on the part played by the AA in their "war", as the AA obviously advertise in the media!
The DVLA are on the front line, selling your information to parking companies to ensure that drivers are punished for transgressing the rules - it would appear that the number plate is a weak
in drivers armour - and the media are keen to report these skirmishes with parking companies who don't usually advertise in the media.It is my assertion that we are being lied to and persecuted by many for financial gain with carefully baited traps like free parking for two hours, and media stories.
Discuss!
So is "All fair in love and war" or should motorists fight back?
Having lit the fuse, it would be nice to see the media giving fair coverage... but not a word is breathed about the cosy arrangement where drivers are urged to take a course to divert money from the treasury, and avoid points on their licence which allowed insurance companies to assess drivers risk.
Even BRAKE don't seem to have grasped the fact that drivers are using courses to avoid losing their licences and keep pushing the envelope, because the media don't highlight it for fear of alienating their sponsors in the advertising department. Even PH is not immune from that!
How about the media highlighting the lack of roads policing departments, and one sided zero tolerance and persecution of just ONE driving risk, while illegal use of foglights, middle lane hoggers, driving without due care, rampant phone use go largely undetected and unaddressed?
Having lit the fuse, it would be nice to see the media giving fair coverage... but not a word is breathed about the cosy arrangement where drivers are urged to take a course to divert money from the treasury, and avoid points on their licence which allowed insurance companies to assess drivers risk.
Even BRAKE don't seem to have grasped the fact that drivers are using courses to avoid losing their licences and keep pushing the envelope, because the media don't highlight it for fear of alienating their sponsors in the advertising department. Even PH is not immune from that!
How about the media highlighting the lack of roads policing departments, and one sided zero tolerance and persecution of just ONE driving risk, while illegal use of foglights, middle lane hoggers, driving without due care, rampant phone use go largely undetected and unaddressed?
Terminator X said:
In tandem with the rise of social media imho the "papers" have become even less aware of the "truth" than they used to be. I don't bother to read them any more and if I do catch sight of something it just gets my blood boiling given the bks being spouted.
TX.
^^^^ Exactly this. ^^^^ks being spouted.TX.
schmunk said:
OP, have you considered the possibility of consistently driving within the law; parking within the rules...?
In ca. 15 years of driving I've had 0 points, 0 stops by the police and 1 parking ticket (about 10 years ago).
I do not feel 'at war'.
Nor do I - my point was that the media are talking up this war on the motorist, but there IS a host of organisations making money out of courses, which the media are NOT exposing, and is resulting in drivers being baited into taking courses instead of paying their fines... and other safety specific offences are going unaddressed.In ca. 15 years of driving I've had 0 points, 0 stops by the police and 1 parking ticket (about 10 years ago).
I do not feel 'at war'.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: I don't think anyone said that. Simply that not getting caught isn't the same as getting caught and then blaming a "war on the motorist" is all.
My highlighting the phrase "war on the motorist" was in respect of the issue of the media talking up a war - and mention of a war leading to drivers responding by "fighting back" with revolving number plates to fool ANPR systems.I had forgotten of course the older practice of setting fire to speed cameras!
schmunk said:
Why do people, (apparently) particularly on here, feel such an entitlement to break this law? Should we demand a leniency of Police enforcement of other laws? Drink driving? Fraud? Assault?
By all means break the law if you wish, but don't moan if you get caught and prosecuted.
Why do perpetrators of assault, fraud or drink driving not get offered courses except AFTER they have been to court?By all means break the law if you wish, but don't moan if you get caught and prosecuted.
Is it because speeding is not regarded as seriously, or they don't occur in great enough numbers to make a profit like speeding?
Sex offenders sometimes get courses AFTER court. Do they have to pay and somebody like AA DriveTech get a slice of the profits?
Pothole said:
Mill Wheel said:
Take this headline from the Daily Mail:
Stop reading this drivel.heebeegeetee said:
I've noticed that, the DM is very often late with the stories, but the stories aren't drivel when they first appear, apparently.
As someone who reads both the DM website (amongst many other sources) and Pistonheads, I can say that the opinions in both are much the same, with the DM being less right-wing.
I don't think we should underestimate the influence of the media, in shaping our thoughts and lives.As someone who reads both the DM website (amongst many other sources) and Pistonheads, I can say that the opinions in both are much the same, with the DM being less right-wing.
Currently two companies are battling a bad press, who are reporting difficulties within companies, with very little hard evidence of problems.
Deutsche Bank being one. A crippling fine is being touted as one reason, but as yet there is no indication when or if this fine will be paid - it is being appealed, and even then the position of such a large bank is essential to the economic well being in Germany, so despite contrary indications from the head of Government, the banks position - should it ever become more difficult, is likely to be supported.
The other scare story is Monarch, all of whose customers are protected by ATOL bond, yet the media are continuously failing to report this in the same type size as their gloom and doom headlines!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37524259
Their "War on the Motorist" headlines seem to find favour with some here, and they should bare some of the responsibility for the reactions of some, like burning speed cameras, and obscuring number plates, when they highlight these countermeasures!
Funkycoldribena said:
There's more leniency in drink driving, blow a slightly over reading and you get another go down the police station. I don't remember the wife getting another go through the mobile camera when she got got done for speeding at 35 in a 30.
Isn't this due to an acceptance that the technology for measuring breath alcohol at the roadside is not as accurate as the machine at the station, while the technology of measuring your speed is conveniently (for the authorities) generally taken to be infallible?The view put forward by the pro camera club is that it is better that a few innocent drivers are penalised than to taint the perfect ideal of the infallible speed detection device!
Yet another example of media misrepresentation today.
I asked in my original post,
He said he would "far rather officers focus on preventing crime and protecting the public than spending their time investigating break-ins where carelessness may have played a role"
But the Mail headline said: "Now police blame victims for being burgled".
That is the sort of reporting that needlessly causes a loss of respect for the police... which I feel IS harmful to society.
So does the "war on the motorist" headline result in motorists "fighting back"? I think it does.
I asked in my original post,
Mill Wheel said:
In the light of several "news" stories recently, does anyone feel that the media are steering or creating news stories to further their own ends?
If they ARE doing this, isn't it harmful to society?
Well the Daily Mail appear to have twisted a comment from the chief Constable of Leicestershire, to suit their own agenda.If they ARE doing this, isn't it harmful to society?
He said he would "far rather officers focus on preventing crime and protecting the public than spending their time investigating break-ins where carelessness may have played a role"
But the Mail headline said: "Now police blame victims for being burgled".
That is the sort of reporting that needlessly causes a loss of respect for the police... which I feel IS harmful to society.
So does the "war on the motorist" headline result in motorists "fighting back"? I think it does.
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