Beware of the media lens

[Neal]

Today driving home in my coach I was thinking about things. Everywhere I've gone in recent times people are as nice as they ever were if not kinder now. Then I remembered a photo I once saw of Anderson Cooper standing knee deep in water in waders reporting on flooding. Then the camera zoomed out and he was standing in a pot hole where the water was and around that it was dry. I don't know if that was a factual situation or satirical but it reminded me that we see the worst of the worst via the media. They are out to get attention, make a story, ratings, whatever. When there is violence that is made out to be huge. Locally I remember about a year ago a dozen or so people were in the hospital with some virus, the media made it out to be a plague. It was literally a dozen! We see these crime situations, riots, statues coming down, but in the grand scheme of things these are isolated events. We've seen political setups where it's made to look like thousands turned out yet it was only a handful.

So I remind "us" that be careful of being afraid based on the presentation of the media. I am not seeing this in my daily lifestyle, my travels, my work. I'll certainly use caution to avoid conflict but I want to remind myself and others that what we see through the eyes of the camera may not be reality in the end.

 

[Neemer]

It’s a big country. 3.8 million square miles, 4 million miles of roadway. The media’s depiction is that seen through a straw. It can be hard to gain and maintain perspective these days.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Because of the political and sociologic-economic polarization that is rampant in our nation, it is all-too-easy for people to cherry-pick information that validates their particular point of view. There's lots of it out there on all sides of any given issue, due primarily to the pervasive social media. Just the other day, I had someone insist that the information they were presenting to bolster their argument was 'known to be true" because it was posted on U-Tube.

And, since all information sources (media, government, politicians, et al) now seem to be driven by $$$$$$$, it is nearly impossible to determine what is true and what is not. In most cases, there is a kernel of truth embedded in a large universe of falsehood or vice versa and people pick the perspective that supports what they want you to believe is universally true or false.

After as many years as I've been on this planet, I've taken the position that I will go with my gut on an issue unless I can be convinced otherwise. That doesn't necessarily make me right or wrong, but it does make it a lot harder to change my ancient mind.

TJ

 

[tileman]

I'm 78. Perhaps I was just naive in my younger years, but I don't remember the news being so biased. I actually believed what I read in a newspaper.

 

[RKins]

It would be cool to see some of the top media reporters travel out their comfy home work stations and into all the mayhem they report on - I think they would be surprised of the difference between what they report and what is actually happening.

 

[MapNerd]

I'm 78. Perhaps I was just naive in my younger years, but I don't remember the news being so biased. I actually believed what I read in a newspaper.

I’d wager when you were a kid, the news was also something that you could trust with confidence. I dont trust anything I see on TV anymore. Very few things if any in media these days are truly objective.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I'm 78. Perhaps I was just naive in my younger years, but I don't remember the news being so biased. I actually believed what I read in a newspaper.

"He who does not read the newspaper is uninformed, He who does read the paper is misinformed" Mark Twain Or something like that, not new to bias.

 

[redbaron]

I have seen OAN reports a few we times. They appear to be just reports and no op-ed.

Anyone know different? Is there a political bias to OANN?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

My take is that there is "political bias" in every so-called news source. It is simply human nature to approach things from the reporter's viewpoint. Good reporters...and, there are very few of them...at least attempt to provide some counterpoint, but the "bias" is still there.

I believe what has really changed is that there many more different viewpoints out there because there are many more players in the game. This is due to the instantaneous nature of news and commentary in today's world. Anybody can put their viewpoint out on social media for all to see...and, they do.

So, using a familiar ice cream analogy from our younger days, instead of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors that we knew 50-100 years ago, there are now hundreds of them, including stuff like raspberry dill pickle fudge pineapple cappuccino. As a result, it gets pretty hard to choose a favorite flavor anymore. And one person's favorite flavor will gag another person. Just the way it is now.

TJ

 

[Neemer]

OANN has a conservative slant, but more subtle IMO. Their WH correspondent is pretty good at asking questions that paint outlets such as WaPo in a negative light and give POTUS an opportunity to respond to negative press.

The state of journalism is really, really sad. My wife only reads foreign journalism, and my approach to it all is to plant my head firmly in my colon and plan my next RV trip. If I think about it too much I’ll go insane.

 

[RKins]

I used to like to listen to NPR and enjoyed the programs but in the past several years they have really had a slant to their reporting.

 

[J&JD]

So, using a familiar ice cream analogy from our younger days, instead of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors that we knew 50-100 years ago, there are now hundreds of them, including stuff like raspberry dill pickle fudge pineapple cappuccino. As a result, it gets pretty hard to choose a favorite flavor anymore. And one person's favorite flavor will gag another person. Just the way it is now.

Just like pineapple on pizza?