Thread: PETA Messes with the Wrong Crowd - Don't Mess w/ Bikers

Originally Posted by rhensley

Some people in this world are only concerned with them selves they do that to gain the news media attention and the news media gives it to them. I know we need a good news program but they need to have some come since and compassion for those who have fought and died for there beliefs and there families feelings. I do believe the way the news stations believe is anything for ratings. there are just some things the world doesn't need to know.

Don't worry we had plenty of media coverage here with the repatriation ceremonies and the actual funerals. I am sure if there had of been protests here it would have been covered too. It has not much to do with the news media and has everything to with a society that breeds these types of people who lack the common dog to know when and where it is appropriate to protest. I was not a particular supporter of our involvement in Afghanistan but it broke my heart every time we got a body back and saw what it did to the families. That is the time to be supportive and not push another agenda.

Bob

Originally Posted by rhensley

Some people in this world are only concerned with them selves they do that to gain the news media attention and the news media gives it to them. I know we need a good news program but they need to have some come since and compassion for those who have fought and died for there beliefs and there families feelings. I do believe the way the news stations believe is anything for ratings. there are just some things the world doesn't need to know.

I agree the news should take responsibility and try to be impartial and not sensationalist. I find Belgian (tv) news sources fairly balanced because they report fact and don't do opinion pieces (that's what other shows are for). During my trip through the US, US tv news was quite a shock to me

As for the world doesn't need to know some things... maybe. I'd agree when it concerns people's private lives.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I agree the news should take responsibility and try to be impartial and not sensationalist. I find Belgian (tv) news sources fairly balanced because they report fact and don't do opinion pieces (that's what other shows are for). During my trip through the US, US tv news was quite a shock to me

As for the world doesn't need to know some things... maybe. I'd agree when it concerns people's private lives.

Unfortunately you can still push one side of the argument without the need to interject opinion. You can steer peoples impressions of an issue to the way you want by using several tactics. If the issue is controversial, you can bring two opposing views onto the show to debate it. On one side you bring an expert on the issue, the other side can be conveniently represented by a moron, leaving the impression with the viewer that one side has a stronger argument. If you want to give the impression that vitamin C is bad for your health, you can bring on ten doctors that swear to it and explain their point of view and ignore any other Dr. who disagrees to create an impression that ALL Drs believe this. As a network, you don't have to take a side. You're just reporting what is. If there is a story that doesn't support a view the network has, they may simply opt not to report on it. Or, for the sake of defending that they do in fact report such stories, they could run them at 2AM, Friday evenings at 7PM, or any other time when viewers are most likely tuned in to something else or tuned out completely. Opinion often sneaks in to the news room by what facts they decide to report and what fact they decide to ignore. When it comes to politics, the network may decide to show one politician's picture that was caught while he/she was making a bad facial expression and show the other candidates picture where they look their best. Opinion can find its way into a broadcast in many ways.

I don't know about others but the media outlets that report items from my POV are always the unbiased ones.

Bob

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Unfortunately you can still push one side of the argument without the need to interject opinion. You can steer peoples impressions of an issue to the way you want by using several tactics. If the issue is controversial, you can bring two opposing views onto the show to debate it. On one side you bring an expert on the issue, the other side can be conveniently represented by a moron, leaving the impression with the viewer that one side has a stronger argument. If you want to give the impression that vitamin C is bad for your health, you can bring on ten doctors that swear to it and explain their point of view and ignore any other Dr. who disagrees to create an impression that ALL Drs believe this. As a network, you don't have to take a side. You're just reporting what is. If there is a story that doesn't support a view the network has, they may simply opt not to report on it. Or, for the sake of defending that they do in fact report such stories, they could run them at 2AM, Friday evenings at 7PM, or any other time when viewers are most likely tuned in to something else or tuned out completely. Opinion often sneaks in to the news room by what facts they decide to report and what fact they decide to ignore. When it comes to politics, the network may decide to show one politician's picture that was caught while he/she was making a bad facial expression and show the other candidates picture where they look their best. Opinion can find its way into a broadcast in many ways.

That's what I mean. Belgian news channels don't bring in people to debate things. And they don't slant things in favor of certain politicians or parties. We have half a dozen major parties in Belgium, and half a dozen minors at least. Belonging to / voting for different parties is not considered something that comes between people or which influences hiring decisions. My wife and I vote differently, and my siblings and I vote different as well. that's considered normal in most families. So any news channel will have people in the newsroom who belong to at least half a dozen parties.

The whole for / against mindset is foreign to me, whereas in the US, everything is politicized and polarized.

When I first heard about companies and news networks in the US endorsing a political candidate, I thought they were joking

I wish it were a joke. I feel that our representatives are no longer functioning for the good of the country. Rather they are only concerned with getting more money/power for themselves and their "man behind the curtain." We (as a country) are already so obsessed with professional sports that the parallels with Rome crumbling while the people are kept distracted by the goings on at the Colosseum, it is scary!

Originally Posted by Bruno

When I first heard about companies and news networks in the US endorsing a political candidate, I thought they were joking

Unfortunately its not a joke.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I agree the news should take responsibility and try to be impartial and not sensationalist. I find Belgian (tv) news sources fairly balanced because they report fact and don't do opinion pieces (that's what other shows are for). During my trip through the US, US tv news was quite a shock to me

As for the world doesn't need to know some things... maybe. I'd agree when it concerns people's private lives.

I really don't know for sure but I believe everyone has some things that are private and not the worlds business. when you loose a loved one is one of many times. can you imagine what would have happened if the news had reported the rumors of JFK and the actress affair. The news media has no respect for anything these days. As others have said much better than me they are bought and paid for by certain groups.