Mindless Media |
Wednesday Aug 08 2007
But going into day six, we were still getting darn near round-the-clock replays of the scene, along with endlessly repetitive and inane fillers of reporters interviewing reporters and speculating on what may or may not be the cause of the collapse. Naturally all the stations are ‘investigating’ who we should blame and hold responsible. All this weighted with emotionally manipulative ‘camera-in-your-face’ questioning of survivors and family members to see what it ‘feels like’ to lose everything. Arrgh!!!!
This sort of mindless media isn’t new. Unfortunately, many of us have become a bit numb to it, but if we think about it, we can still muster up a bit of latent disgust. As I remember it, the media has been filling innumerable hours of TV coverage by riding this wave of non-stop ‘spectator’ analysis ad nauseam ever since the OJ trial. I don’t think the media is stupid, so they must think there is enough of an audience lapping it up to have advertisers keep coming back. CNN is the worst as far as I can see. They have it down to a formulaic ‘style’: add enough dramatic music, a catchy slogan like “Bridge Watch”, lots of visual ‘twirls’ and it almost seems like there is some content there.
My interpretation is that nobody is watching it— the electronic “Nielson” thinks there are viewers but most of us have more or less tuned it out and left the room and forgotten to turn off our sets. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense. Nonetheless, whatever the case, here are my suggestions for those who want to ‘take a stand’ against mindless media:
- Turn off the set when you’ve heard the same coverage more than twice
- Turn off any newscaster telling you what you just heard someone else say
- Turn off any newscaster saying over and over again, “We don’t know anything…”
- Turn off any newscaster interviewing other newspersons and representing their opinions as actual news. Be particularly wary of ‘experts’ touting their opinions (such as retired Generals) who have been hired by the media as interviewees to make broadcasts more ‘newsworthy’.
- Turn off any newscaster who is emotionally manipulating views by asking victims of a tragedy how it ‘feels’ to lose a loved one, their home or their ‘dignity’
- Turn off any news program that is built around the personality of the reporter
- Turn off any news program that gives “top of the news headlines” and then repeats those same headlines and sound bytes as the full story itself
- Turn off any news conference where reporters are giving opposite sides of an argument with lots of yelling and hysterical behavior (it’s fake anyway)
- Turn off any ‘investigation’ that doesn’t show both sides of the issue—you can always find proof for your point of view if you look hard enough
- Turn off any editorials disguised as news
- Turn off any news channel that appears to be systematically slanting stories to support a particular political or corporate agenda
Written by Jim Selman at News
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I did nine years ago and never miss it. I continually hear my relations and
friends say " there is nothing but rubbish on TV tonight". Think of
how you will help the 'Global Warming' effort!
Posted by grannymar on August 10, 2007 at 08:55 PM EDT #