Depressing News and Stuff

[bumcheekcity]

Now, this is actually quite a serioud post, but has anyone noticed how utterly depressing the news is? I was watching BBC1 today and there were 5 stories.

1) That little boy in Iraq with his arms blown off.
2) A child murderer and her anonymity plea.
3) A brutal killing and rape of a 33 ear-old.
4) A child shaken to death.
5) Something to do with child porn but i switched off half-way through.

This really gets me down. Can't we see happy things? Do you think the news is too depressing, or is it just me?

[karasz]

At 4/14/03 03:00 PM, bumcheekcity wrote: This really gets me down. Can't we see happy things? Do you think the news is too depressing, or is it just me?

u have to understand that this is the world we live in... sadly... yeah it sucks, but the news is there to inform us... thankfully though the internet is way better at informing us than anything ever invented... so i suggest u look on the internet for new stories...

and if they show the happy stuff then they will lose money and sadly that is what the news room is all about anymore...

the world is full of sell-outs

[Commander-K25]

At 4/14/03 03:00 PM, bumcheekcity wrote: This really gets me down. Can't we see happy things? Do you think the news is too depressing, or is it just me?

The preponderance of bad news in the media is nothing new.

As is often said about the media: "If it bleeds, it leads."

[bumcheekcity]

At 4/14/03 05:02 PM, Commander-K25 wrote: The preponderance of bad news in the media is nothing new.

As is often said about the media: "If it bleeds, it leads."

*sigh* Suppose so, but just for once I would like to see news article like: 'Happy man makes nice cup of tea for man of ethnic minority.' It would be nice to know that everyone wasnt shooting everyone else because they were black or white or Iraqui or American or Tanned or Chinese or a Refugee or...

You get my point...

[FreidanX]

Huh. You know that does get me thinking about something. News stories these days are either downright depressing (i.e. Iraqi child/no arms, dead abandoned 1-year-old found in box, etc)... or downright stupid (i.e Cruise-Cruz "romance", Pitt-Aniston "romance", Jackson-8 year old romance, etc.)

My biggest dissolusionment with the news came when I saw CNN run a story on two people who married their dogs. There was even a ceremony, reception, and a cake...

[Jimsween]

That's the problem with the media, they dont report the news they MAKE the news. When you deliberately go out searching for bad things your going to find them.

[MadMax501]

you should all see Bowling for Columbine.

[bumcheekcity]

At 4/15/03 11:27 PM, MadMax501 wrote: you should all see Bowling for Columbine.

is it any good? or does it make some difference to the topic?

[JudgeDredd]

At 4/15/03 02:35 AM, FreidanX wrote: ... or downright stupid (i.e Cruise-Cruz "romance", Pitt-Aniston "romance", Jackson-8 year old romance, etc.)

My biggest dissolusionment with the news came when I saw CNN run a story on two people who married their dogs. There was even a ceremony, reception, and a cake...

lol - can i say only in America! - nah, the disease has spread worldwide.. The way i saw it - one can't be famous nowadays unless one does bad or evil things (to get on the front page of the newspapers) and if you did something uniquely brilliantly creative? - you'd prolly have a hard time even getting the attention of your local bank-manager!

Have you ever seen a newspaper that puts good news on the front pages and bad news on the backpages? Who the he hell makes these newspapers? and what the hell is their hidden agenda??

This is not just a "freedom of speech" issue - it's a pervasive pursuasive cancer of society - the great depression is our lives - we are not a unique and beautiful snow flake - we all exist in the same compost heap - i'm going to my cave - my happy place - :)_"slide"

[House-Of-Leaves]

At 4/16/03 03:04 AM, bumcheekcity wrote:

At 4/15/03 11:27 PM, MadMax501 wrote: you should all see Bowling for Columbine.

is it any good? or does it make some difference to the topic?

Yes, and yes.

It's a touchy subject here, I believe, since Michael Moore is a very outspoken Anti-Bush man. But Bowling for Columbine made me realize a LOT about the media.

Now...there were a lot of things about that movie that may or may not have been correct statistically. It may have shown some things that aren't really representative about Canada...but to tell the truth? I don't care. It was a specatacular viewpoint on something we should all think about.

bumcheekcity: the biggest reason why it pertains to this thread is the media and this one fact that blew me away. American media? In the last 40 years, violent crime has gone DOWN by 20%.

American media coverage of violent crime has gone UP 600%.

That's not a typo.

It's all about what sells. It's all about what gets the attention of the viewers. Commander is right...if it bleeds it leads.

I almost went in to the media business, as a comentator and editorialist. I know how biased the American media can be.

I would suggest you see that movie, just because it shows the rediculous culture of fear we live in. We're so afraid of everything...and really? It's all because of the media.

[bumcheekcity]

At 4/16/03 04:48 AM, House_Of_Leaves wrote:

At 4/16/03 03:04 AM, bumcheekcity wrote: is it any good? or does it make some difference to the topic?

Yes, and yes.

Now...there were a lot of things about that movie that may or may not have been correct statistically. It may have shown some things that aren't really representative about Canada...but to tell the truth? I don't care. It was a specatacular viewpoint on something we should all think about.

bumcheekcity: the biggest reason why it pertains to this thread is the media and this one fact that blew me away. American media? In the last 40 years, violent crime has gone DOWN by 20%.

American media coverage of violent crime has gone UP 600%.

That's not a typo.

It's all about what sells. It's all about what gets the attention of the viewers. Commander is right...if it bleeds it leads.

I almost went in to the media business, as a comentator and editorialist. I know how biased the American media can be.

I would suggest you see that movie, just because it shows the rediculous culture of fear we live in. We're so afraid of everything...and really? It's all because of the media.

I will have to watch it then. I cant believe those stats (although I do believe them, oh you know what I mean) up by 600%? Can I ask scince when?

A random ststistic here for those who care: America ranked 17th in the world for freedom of the press. Not bad, you might think. But they call themselves 'The Land of the Free.' Not good, is it?

[bumcheekcity]

At 4/16/03 04:48 AM, House_Of_Leaves wrote:

At 4/16/03 03:04 AM, bumcheekcity wrote: is it any good? or does it make some difference to the topic?

Yes, and yes.

Now...there were a lot of things about that movie that may or may not have been correct statistically. It may have shown some things that aren't really representative about Canada...but to tell the truth? I don't care. It was a specatacular viewpoint on something we should all think about.

bumcheekcity: the biggest reason why it pertains to this thread is the media and this one fact that blew me away. American media? In the last 40 years, violent crime has gone DOWN by 20%.

American media coverage of violent crime has gone UP 600%.

That's not a typo.

It's all about what sells. It's all about what gets the attention of the viewers. Commander is right...if it bleeds it leads.

I almost went in to the media business, as a comentator and editorialist. I know how biased the American media can be.

I would suggest you see that movie, just because it shows the rediculous culture of fear we live in. We're so afraid of everything...and really? It's all because of the media.

I will have to watch it then. I cant believe those stats (although I do believe them, oh you know what I mean) up by 600%? Thats stupid.

A random ststistic here for those who care: America ranked 17th in the world for freedom of the press. Not bad, you might think. But they call themselves 'The Land of the Free.' Not good, is it?

Its a pity that if it bleeds, it leads. I'm sure I would be a lot happier if I heard on the news that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING bad was happening today, the NHS ws doing well, education standards are up and stuff. Its a pity, really.

I will definately have to watch Bowling for Columbine.

[D2Kvirus]

At 4/15/03 04:26 PM, jimsween wrote: That's the problem with the media, they dont report the news they MAKE the news. When you deliberately go out searching for bad things your going to find them.

It's Galtung & Ruge's model being proven right once again; News Values dictate more than human interest.

Watch the sorry excuse for news broadcasting (now with 98% less Iraq!), and look out for:

Frequency: For example, WTC was good as the event took barely half an hour, and a story was instantly there. Weapons Inspectors in Iraq, however, did not make as good news - especially when no story turned up at the end, but that didn't seem to matter, did it?

Threshold: Basically, if an event is bigger than another. Again, what was the big story on 9/11 prior to Ossie getting busy?

Unambiguity: Easiness to decipher. If there is one meaning, it is better. Columbine was kids shooting each other; easy, no arguments, that's what happened.

Relevance: Your country. AKA "Closeness to home."

Predictibility: Events that are expected: Elections, celebrity weddings, celebrity deaths - there's a format ready for them all.

Scarcity: Expect the unexpected. Events such as Columbine were unusual (not now, though, are they?), although in the UK the Dunblaine massacre was - armed guy shooting up a Primary School? Not a regular occurence.

Composition: Balence. Politics/Social, Local/National, National/International, Business/Leisure, News/Trivia. One can't be shown without the other. Barring the last three weeks. Jesus...

Reference to Elites: International hierarchy. For the BBC, it works: UK (home), US, France, Germany, then maybe Russia, Japan, China, before tailing off drastically, barring huge events (natural disaster etc). Put it this way, when was Bolivia last meantioned on CNN?

Negativity: There is no news like bad news, after all. For example, the US crime rate is down 20%, but reporting of it up 600% (no typo).

And I didn't use the word "agenda" once...

[JMHX]

The local news here *sigh* is keeping up about how much of a deficit we're in, and how Indiana is personally at fault for nearly every single world problem since World War I. I swear, I'm just going to stop watching the television.

[House-Of-Leaves]

Something really funny about the local media here that I should have mentioned earlier...

They were on almost 24/7, covering the war.

Then...after about two weeks of it? They started having news specials.

About what?

Weening yourself off of the 'depression causing news' that people were taking it at such a high rate.

Seriously, there were news specials telling you to stop watching so much news, because it was becoming so stress inducing for some people. It was amazing!

What the press will come up with next, we'll never know.

[Deathman33]

Yeah, you see alot of depressing stuff on TV. About the boy with no arms, I think I heard him say something about getting treatment in any country, but America. Makes you think about how much the people over there really like us. Another thing I saw today was a gruesome picture of early stages of the war in Newsweek or something and these two Iraqis were dead in this trench with their heads that looked like a powerful shell took off a good 1/4 of their face. A horrible sight it was... shows us what we really don't get to see during a war.

[JMHX]

At 4/16/03 11:18 PM, Deathman33 wrote: Yeah, you see alot of depressing stuff on TV. About the boy with no arms, I think I heard him say something about getting treatment in any country, but America.

Well, vinegar and a torch it is, eh, comrades?

[JudgeDredd]

At 4/16/03 11:53 PM, JudgeMeHarshX wrote:
Well, vinegar and a torch it is, eh, comrades?

no, that's the Chinese remedy for SARS, oh that and turnips!

Western Scientist are no better.. injecting SARS into animals and patting themselves on the backs if the animal dies.. "Hooyah! We're one step closer to curing the common cold" ...err - yeah right!?

[D2Kvirus]

At 4/16/03 03:36 PM, House_Of_Leaves wrote: Something really funny about the local media here that I should have mentioned earlier...

They were on almost 24/7, covering the war.

Then...after about two weeks of it? They started having news specials.

You mean I wasn't the only one on Tuesday afternoon jumping up at the news that there was Headline news outside Iraq?

If anything, the coverage reminded me of Big Brother or something:
Day Twelve: Coalition United to Nullify Terrorism (work it out) take Basra and umm-Qasr!
Day Fourteen: Coalition forces take umm-Qasr!!!
Day Twenty One: Coalition Forces take Basra!!!

I was expecting some General to go into the Diary Room or summat, or nomination for a platoon to be sent home at theend of every week. Thinking about it, it was the exact same: the only interesting things on Big Brother or in Iraq happened at 2am.

By the way, why is it, 18 months on, every UK paper has theirown spelling of al-Qu'eda? Just agree on ONE, for Jah's sake!!!