Reading the headlines on who "won" and who "lost" this election day, May 19, 2010k suddenly made me realize that the what we learn in the news is no better and maybe worse than the IQ level of the person doing the reporting.
At a minimum, what we learn seems dependent on the following
1. The Hook. Forget substance. The news story must "hook" the reader. Ah! That is why so many stories never come close to the headline. You're hooked!
2. Vocabulary This morning on one of the "morning news shows" Meridith Vera asked a girl who had forgot and left her baby outside and the baby was being taken away if she felt "vilified by the press". What Meridith-you expect the girl to what? understand?
Huge example here about innate meanness, insensitivity, and the reporter comes first-not the story.
To many stories are that way. Words used to make the author look good that have nothing to do with the story itself.
3. Opiniated If you put "Truth" on one end of a stick and "Lies" on the other almost all headlines today land closer to the Lies end than the Truth side.
This election day was a win for the "tea party" if I read the headlines correctly. . Note the quotes around tea party. Most readers probably think there is such a party.
There is if you believe the media who invented it.
So, it was not so much a win for the candidates as the tea parties and the media?
4. Restricted. I don't think there has ever been a time when the news we receive is so carefully controlled right down to what is going on next door. Headlines now are more interested in who got kicked off Dancing, with the Vain,; the sexual predator in Nome who might attack in Hoboken; the politician who cheated on his wife but still believes abstinence as the best policy, Great irony in that third one.
There is enough oil now floating in the Gulf to power how many cities for how long? The headlines read "More Oil Spilling into the Gulf".at the same time "BP Doubles Estimate of the Oil Captured". Wow! What is it about "Oil Now 324 Feet Deep/10 miles Wide" that missed the headlines.
5. Bought and paid for. Corporate CEO's now dictate what can be read, seen or heard. Unless there are dollars involved do you think you will get to read, see, or hear it. News must be sold-not reported.
6. Looks over sustance. Radio and the print media are the last refuge for the best reporters who are never going to be on a glamor magazine. Print is on the way out and radio failed years ago.
The news seems to be following the old addition if it looks good it must be. Forget substance. Forget good headlines/
In the end--No News is Good News.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Caffeine Rules
I just read how an Arizona police force got a tip about illegal aliens in a house and mounted a full scale swat team attack.
In making the following remarks, I realize that there will be those who say I diminish the dangers faced by everyone in Arizona (and particularly along the border) by the drug wars in Mexico and the threats to life and property all citizens in those areas face.
But attaching a residence because people are inside?
What's the rush?
Set up a "human blockade". Surround the place, hire some of the unemployed and feed them round the clock to keep vigilant until whatever is in the house starves or gives up. Wow!
What has happened to us that we "attack", "attack", "attack".
Why not "think"?
I have a feeling its because our nation is ramped up on caffeine.
Anytime a TV commercial can advocate drinking something that will make you feel wide awake at 4 a.m. after having driven a race car from 130 -5:30 p.m in a 500 mile race and not have people realized you are selling a mind alerting drug is beyond me.
A cup of coffee has enough caffeine to wake most people up. There are now people who need a Double-Shot just to get started.
It isn't just me who has to really make an effort to keep up with a TV program? Is it because those who are still "sober" can't keep up with the "juiced-up entertainment" being offered so don't?
In fact, Caffeine may be at the root of almost every man-made catastrophe of the past decade. People are more hyped up on attacking the next moment rather than "reflecting and planning ahead" (think 9/11); others spend hours on line trading stocks rather than hours in research making informed decisions (read stock market collapse); "experts" don't test for results rather just put\something in place that has so many built in redundancies that it should work but doesn't (read the Toyota recall or Deepwater Horizon) while those in control of the media rush to make-up news about all of the above (read all 24 new hour stations).
Here is a thought--
Mind altering drugs in this country have been illegal for just over 100 years. Not Caffeine.
Read 1984.
In making the following remarks, I realize that there will be those who say I diminish the dangers faced by everyone in Arizona (and particularly along the border) by the drug wars in Mexico and the threats to life and property all citizens in those areas face.
But attaching a residence because people are inside?
What's the rush?
Set up a "human blockade". Surround the place, hire some of the unemployed and feed them round the clock to keep vigilant until whatever is in the house starves or gives up. Wow!
What has happened to us that we "attack", "attack", "attack".
Why not "think"?
I have a feeling its because our nation is ramped up on caffeine.
Anytime a TV commercial can advocate drinking something that will make you feel wide awake at 4 a.m. after having driven a race car from 130 -5:30 p.m in a 500 mile race and not have people realized you are selling a mind alerting drug is beyond me.
A cup of coffee has enough caffeine to wake most people up. There are now people who need a Double-Shot just to get started.
It isn't just me who has to really make an effort to keep up with a TV program? Is it because those who are still "sober" can't keep up with the "juiced-up entertainment" being offered so don't?
In fact, Caffeine may be at the root of almost every man-made catastrophe of the past decade. People are more hyped up on attacking the next moment rather than "reflecting and planning ahead" (think 9/11); others spend hours on line trading stocks rather than hours in research making informed decisions (read stock market collapse); "experts" don't test for results rather just put\something in place that has so many built in redundancies that it should work but doesn't (read the Toyota recall or Deepwater Horizon) while those in control of the media rush to make-up news about all of the above (read all 24 new hour stations).
Here is a thought--
Mind altering drugs in this country have been illegal for just over 100 years. Not Caffeine.
Read 1984.
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