"This is extremely dangerous to our democracy"

[bloomen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL1zwMtz_Ho

A fairly mind bending vid highlighting the level of parroting in US news. I don't really see how any functioning human being can tolerate any American television for more than a few seconds but maybe that's just me.

Can you feel your own mind being slowly bent to the will of The Man or are you scaling back on all media consumption. These days I find it all so worthless that I'd love to be able to shut it out totally. Easier said than done.

[Shuvi McTupya]

Its scary isn't it!

I hardly watch any news on TV any more, and most 'news' on the internet is just bullst and/or click bait too.

Every news outlet is owned by somebody that wants to put their own spin on things but having a situation where ALL the news stations broadcast exactly the same propaganda is very worrying indeed and if it wasn't for videos like the above , nobody would have any clue.

And if you look to 'alternative' news sites then you are considered bat st crazy...

[bloomen]

Shuvi McTupya said:

And if you look to 'alternative' news sites then you are considered bat st crazy...

To be fair many of the people who run those are madder than a mad thing. I remember one had an entire page devoted to his own 'suiciding' and who would likely be responsible for it if it happened.

The older I get the less I'm inclined to listen to or believe anyone, not that I care in the slightest what they're on about in the first place. If it's that vital I'll go and have a look myself.

[TameRacingDriver]

I've cut down on my consumption of news, but I still feel I cannot give it up totally. There's a part of me that feels slightly uncomfortable living in total ignorance, even if I know deep down most the news is utter BS.

At least one good thing has come of it though, I don't go on the Daily Fail anymore, that has to be a positive? I honestly feel just a smidge happier for that alone. The only news thing I read now is the Independent - rightly or wrongly, it seems a little less biased / more factual than most sources, and the local news, and other than that, just read about things that interest me.

[bloomen]

TameRacingDriver said:

At least one good thing has come of it though, I don't go on the Daily Fail anymore, that has to be a positive? I honestly feel just a smidge happier for that alone. The only news thing I read now is the Independent - rightly or wrongly, it seems a little less biased / more factual than most sources, and the local news, and other than that, just read about things that interest me.

I can stand those bleedin' vids the Independent glues into every story, and you can tell they're no longer a full speed news organisation. The front page often doesn't twitch for hours.

Any DM avoidance adds years to lives.

[TameRacingDriver]

bloomen said:

I can stand those bleedin' vids the Independent glues into every story, and you can tell they're no longer a full speed news organisation. The front page often doesn't twitch for hours.

Any DM avoidance adds years to lives.

Oh yeah I'm with you on those videos - very annoying. I can always use the Apple news app to filter those out to some degree.

And yeah, I feel liberated for avoiding that stty rag, and that sidebar of shame.

[ReaperCushions]

TameRacingDriver said:

I've cut down on my consumption of news, but I still feel I cannot give it up totally. There's a part of me that feels slightly uncomfortable living in total ignorance, even if I know deep down most the news is utter BS.

At least one good thing has come of it though, I don't go on the Daily Fail anymore, that has to be a positive? I honestly feel just a smidge happier for that alone. The only news thing I read now is the Independent - rightly or wrongly, it seems a little less biased / more factual than most sources, and the local news, and other than that, just read about things that interest me.

Something I've found very refreshing recently is focusing on only the few things that I feel matter to me (Economy, jobs, education, world security), immediately identifying and ignoring the non-important stuff (fake news, persistent Trump / May bashing for the sake of it). Then I take a look at the same story from multiple news angles (Left, right, alternative). You can very very quickly see a pattern emerging from different sources, reporters and outlets on the spin and focus they put onto various stories.

Comparing the opposing sides of a Trump story between CNN and Fox is hilarious and the utter bias is shocking.

I find that the 'multiple source on the same story' approach allows me a much more balanced view and I can now very quickly spot and discount bias and 'fake news' stories.

Edited to add: I've just compared CNN and Fox just now... I mean its do blatant it hurts.

The key for me is to conciously take a step back from the believability of new sources. Trust none of them and make your own mind up.

You can see it on Facebook as well, people brainwashed by the Sun or DM into believing a story is true, then spreading it on social media for all to comment. It's funny to see someone share an anti-immigrant / Muslim story, the usual suspects then jump onboard and a quick google reveals its actually not true... but they won't have it.. because the DM said so.

Edited by ReaperCushions on Friday 1st June 17:41

[ESOG]

I absolutely DESPISE television and any tv shows (news aside in referring to here) i DVD to fast forward through commercials. I cannot stomach the stupid "ironic" messaging of tv commercials. In fact I don't think i have watched a single commercial since the ability to DVD has come about. I have no clue as to what new products or services the world is trying to cram down my throat. Same goes for talk radio,; i sometimes wonder what's the point of even having a show when the talk part is like 4 minutes followed by 6 minutes of the same paid advertiser over and over and over again.

HERE IS SOMETHING NEW AND TOTALLY ANNOYING in America; tell me, has this appeared in your side of the pond yet? Television AT THE DUEL PUMPS!!! I get SO pissed. It's bad enough media is shoved in front of our faces in every way else now I have to get termed with no lube and pay 3.65$ a gallon for regular AND have to hear a commercial blasted full volume while I pump it. At least you have the ability to hit mute, but it's the declining principal of it.

[grumbledoak]

That's an excellent video. You couldn't make the point better.

Remember that the opposite of informed is not uninformed.

[Kccv23highliftcam]

I missed the CNN parrot somewhere in there

But the OP is quite right, I don't watch the news/twitter/whatever, it's all deception and has been on going since the 70's.




Take a look at the more "popular" threads on this very forum!!

Edited by Kccv23highliftcam on Friday 1st June 18:49

[Penelope Stopit]

I've cut right back on TV News, I do sometimes suffer BBC worldwide that has one particular pair of presenters that give their opinion on different subjects, I get really pissed of with this couple....I didn't turn the TV on to get their opinion on anything. All I want is the latest news but can't get it.

Yesterday the news told me that America was going to bring piece to the world by sorting things out with North Korea....I nearly fell off my chair backwards....Has America checked to see how much bombing and shooting North Korea has done throughout the world

TV News is a no goer for me and when I do sometimes watch it all I end up doing is cursing the TV and it's not the TVs fault it's what's on it....poor TV that's what I say

[Jasandjules]

Everything put out by media is subject to a slant. What you need to know is which way that goes when reading it........ Nullius in Verba and all that.

[esxste]

One way of getting less biased reporting is too look at foreign media reports on the story.

It's a logical fallacy to assume that alternative news websites must be sources of unbiased truth. Because of the passion required to set up such a news website, and continually publish news, frequently the people doing so are just as biased, if not more so than the big media companies.

They only way to pick through the bias is to look at multiple sources; and try to throw in some foreign reporting on the story too - they tend to be more factual accounts.