From the New York Times this morning

[Utah Bob #35998]

Quote

 

Is bad news the only kind?

Bruce Sacerdote, an economics professor at Dartmouth College, noticed something last year about the Covid-19 television coverage that he was watching on CNN and PBS. It almost always seemed negative, regardless of what was he seeing in the data or hearing from scientists he knew.

When Covid cases were rising in the U.S., the news coverage emphasized the increase. When cases were falling, the coverage instead focused on those places where cases were rising. And when vaccine research began showing positive results, the coverage downplayed it, as far as Sacerdote could tell.

But he was not sure whether his perception was correct. To check, he began working with two other researchers, building a database of Covid coverage from every major network, CNN, Fox News, Politico, The New York Times and hundreds of other sources, in the U.S. and overseas. The researchers then analyzed it with a social-science technique that classifies language as positive, neutral or negative.

The results showed that Sacerdote’s instinct had been right — and not just because the pandemic has been mostly a grim story.

 

 

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Not a surprise.  It seems to me that the media wanted/s the general public to adhere to social distancing/mask conventions and stressed the infection/hospitalization/death rates to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.  If they concentrated on the "good" news they could be accused of minimizing the situation and contributing to the problem of rising infection rates/deaths.  Objectivity is not a concept the media is pushing.

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

Doom and gloom sells.

 

Can't let a good crisis go to waste, after all.

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

17 minutes ago, Smuteye John SASS#24774 said:

Doom and gloom sells.

 

Can't let a good crisis go to waste, after all.

right after "If it Bleeds, it Leads"

 

[Sixgun Sheridan]

When I was in China many years ago I was watching one of their English-language stations. The news came on, and everything was all sweet and rosy how the Chinese leaders were hard at work improving relations with this or that country, and how great it was that a new bridge was going up in some town somewhere...

 

...and here in the USA the news crews are chasing every ambulance and police car that goes by.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Human nature is attracted to the negative. That’s why traffic slows to look at a 3-car pileup in the other lane, but not to look at a patch of blooming daffodils. 
 

The news makes money by attracting readers. Readers are attracted by negativism. Connect the dots. 

[Singin' Sue 71615]

I keep wondering...

We are now being 'told' to mask, even double mask...even if you took the vaccine.

Why? Because there are now 'newer' strains?

Seriously folks...

The Flu has been around for years, has seen many deaths from the flu, and it is always changing.

 

Media has always influenced peoples thoughts, one way or another.

Look at commercials...

I think of The War Of The Worlds broadcast...and how much devistation it brought in just one night.

There are those who need to wear a mask for health reasons...and I support it.

I also support getting many different views from many different sources...we now only get one view, from many different sources.

Sad.

[JD Lud]

So that is the first part...and since their candidate has had control notice the change in narrative?  They had to make it seem “the worst” just after he assumed office, then since it’s been immediately better nearly everywhere with things more rapidly opening back up.

 

It’s no a coincidence and I have said this was going to happen and predicted it for months.  It’s been a coordinated and concerted effort to mislead the public for political gain (and financial from all those that benefit from the government decisions).  The people gaining financially sure play along with the government to keep their cash cow producing....

 

When you have all of big tech and nearly all of the main stream media working together.....they have control.  Big tech in charge of magic voting computers that can be manipulated at will with big media covering for them at every question...what could go wrong?  

 

 

[Pat Riot]

[Utah Bob #35998]

I started this to highlight the poor state of American “journalism”.

The surprising thing is that it was reported by the NYT.

Lets not turn it political or it will be locked or deleted.

[Alpo]

13 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

The surprising thing is that it was reported by the NYT

Most extremely surprising thing.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

Most journalism is supposed to be straight reporting. You also have investigative reporting. A small percentage is editorializing (opinion).

 

Today most of what should be regular reporting of facts now includes editorial content. Everyone is reporting influenced by their own opinion and agenda. That's not journalism.

 

An investigative reporter should find the facts and let that dictate where the story leads regardless of their own agenda. Both sides should be equally investigated with the same level of scrutiny. Again, that's not happening much today. Very few real journalists anymore at the national level.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

Well...who wants to read good news??

 

Me...

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Pat, I'm not sure I believe that.   Just go to the Drudge Report and look at all the links he has. 

 

Curious as to what the 3 corporations are?

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 said:

Pat, I'm not sure I believe that.   Just go to the Drudge Report and look at all the links he has. 

 

Curious as to what the 3 corporations are?

I guess the meme is inaccurate. It’s more like 6 corporations. I tried copying and pasting a search from DuckDuckGo and it wouldn’t paste so I went to Google. 
 

https://www.google.com/search?q=what 3 corporations own the media

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

And in spite of facts to the contrary the media still swears that children (and others) are not learning to hate and kill and break laws, etc by TV, movies, music, and computer games.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

3 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

But all together how many more newspapers, magazines, tv and radio stations and publishers are there?

[Pat Riot]

2 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

But all together how many more newspapers, magazines, tv and radio stations and publishers are there?

Do a search and find out. 

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

1 hour ago, Smokin Gator SASS #29736 said:

Most journalism is supposed to be straight reporting. You also have investigative reporting. A small percentage is editorializing (opinion).

 

Today most of what should be regular reporting of facts now includes editorial content. Everyone is reporting influenced by their own opinion and agenda. That's not journalism.

 

An investigative reporter should find the facts and let that dictate where the story leads regardless of their own agenda. Both sides should be equally investigated with the same level of scrutiny. Again, that's not happening much today. Very few real journalists anymore at the national level.

Sorry to disappoint, but history says otherwise. 
 

Every newspaper ever made has been a mouthpiece for the owner. Study the American Revolution.  Cities had multiple papers spouting multiple views trying to sway the masses. 
 

Even investigative journalists, think Woodward and Bernstein, investigate what they’re told and what will support an agenda. 
 

It’s the readers’ obligation to check out multiple sources to gather a broad spectrum of opinion and draw their own conclusions.

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

19 minutes ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

Sorry to disappoint, but history says otherwise. 
 

Every newspaper ever made has been a mouthpiece for the owner. Study the American Revolution.  Cities had multiple papers spouting multiple views trying to sway the masses. 
 

Even investigative journalists, think Woodward and Bernstein, investigate what they’re told and what will support an agenda. 
 

It’s the readers’ obligation to check out multiple sources to gather a broad spectrum of opinion and draw their own conclusions.

That's always been true. But outfits that don't  follow responsible, ethical journalism guidelines are by definition, not journalists. 200 years ago, 100 years ago or today. 

 

200 years ago is before standardized journalism ethics were developed and taught. In the 20th century you had a lot more of real journalists vs 95% of of them nowdays driving the same agenda. Even media people with bias were split a lot closer to the middle then. KipNow It's almost 100% controlled by one agenda. 

 

Your last paragraph is true. Journalists are supposed to present the facts on both sides, without bias. Then the public can hear both sets of information and make their own decisions. We are being give completely biased info almost exclusively from one viewpoint. That makes it much more difficult for the public to make informed decisions. That may pass for journalism to many people but it is not.

 

 

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

4 hours ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

I started this to highlight the poor state of American “journalism”.

The surprising thing is that it was reported by the NYT.

 

I'm about as conservative as they come, but I've been a subscriber to the print edition of the NYTimes since 1989; over 30 years. Get it on my front porch daily, along with two local papers.

 

They are about the only paper anymore that actually spends real resources on their own news reporting. Virtually all of their opinion writing is leftist, and it bleeds over into the news more than it used to, but they usually cover both sides quite well on news articles, and their investigative articles are very thorough.

 

I have no trouble filtering their biases. I never watch television news; its stridency to me is intolerable, as is the shallowness necessary to the medium. Not to mention the endless repitition.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Well, we here in Washington State are facing a crisis.

 

The State has greatly reduced the number of fish available to the fishing public.

This will reduce the need for fish wrappers. Most , if not all of the newspapers,

may close their doors. 

  

[J-BAR #18287]

The internet and blogs and chat rooms and Twitter and Facebook and email and texting allows everyone to display an opinion worldwide, so we all become “journalists”.  And 50% of us are below average intelligence.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

2 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

  And 50% of us are below average intelligence.

Now just what source did you get that statistic? 

[J-BAR #18287]

3 minutes ago, Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 said:

Now just what source did you get that statistic? 

 

Unfortunately, BQ, you just identified yourself as mathematically challenged!  Review the definition of “average “:  half the population is above average, half is below average.

 

Sad, but true.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

2 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 

Unfortunately, BQ, you just identified yourself as mathematically challenged!  Review the definition of “average “:  half the population is above average, half is below average.

 

Sad, but true.

Oh-h-h. 

So 50% are below average.  50% above average.  Does that mean there's no just average people?   Sort of like Democrats and Republicans?

Life does have it's difficulties.

I recently learned that we're all unique...just like everyone else.   Who knew?

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

4 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 And 50% of us are below average intelligence.

 

 

   ............... the above example is proof that the numbers CAN & DO lie & tell fibs   

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

12 hours ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

This will reduce the need for fish wrappers. Most , if not all of the newspapers,

may close their doors. 

  

And you say that like it's a bad thing....

[J-BAR #18287]

7 hours ago, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

 

 

   ............... the above example is proof that the numbers CAN & DO lie & tell fibs   

 

I'm curious which part of the definition of "average" you consider a lie or fib?

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

23 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

The internet and blogs and chat rooms and Twitter and Facebook and email and texting allows everyone to display an opinion worldwide, so we all become “journalists”.  And 50% of us are below average intelligence.

I think the issue doesn't come from intelligence as much as with the hubris and need for validation of the poster and immediacy of the global decimation of what is written. 

 

I'm not on social media because I'm not vain enough to think that there's folks out in the world that want to know my every thought or opinion on every matter.  I can see how social media can be addictive.  The validation could be alluring and so could knowing that there were people that were going to read and 'listen' to your every post.

 

Nobody's got any patience.  Everything's got to be right now.  People tend to react first and then think about it.  How many times have you came back and edited a post or deleted one before hitting the reply button?  The problem today is that folks are reacting and putting that reaction out for the world to see and not bothering to think things through.

 

As for the intelligence percentages, I picture it more as a Bell Curve than straight percentages.  There's a few really. really smart people, there's a few really, really dumb folks and the rest of us fall someplace in between.

[Utah Bob #35998]

18 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 

I'm curious which part of the definition of "average" you consider a lie or fib?

If 50% are dumb and 50% are smart, you can’t have an average. 

[J-BAR #18287]

41 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

If 50% are dumb and 50% are smart, you can’t have an average. 

 

The mathematical average is a specific single number that divides a population into two groups.  Dumb and smart are not necessarily defined by the average alone.  That's where other measures such as the standard deviation come into play.  Smart people are typically 2 standard deviations above the average.  Really smart people are 3 standard deviations above average.  But those definitions are subject to interpretation. The average is an exact calculation.  To your point, it is possible to have a bimodal distribution in which no individual is average, but the bell curve of the total population still has an average.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

Has nothing to do with journalism, but just have to add this one...

 

"Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

22 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

I keep wondering...

We are now being 'told' to mask, even double mask...even if you took the vaccine.

Why? Because there are now 'newer' strains?

Seriously folks...

The Flu has been around for years, has seen many deaths from the flu, and it is always changing.

 

Media has always influenced peoples thoughts, one way or another.

Look at commercials...

I think of The War Of The Worlds broadcast...and how much devistation it brought in just one night.

There are those who need to wear a mask for health reasons...and I support it.

I also support getting many different views from many different sources...we now only get one view, from many different sources.

Sad.

I agree with most of your post. However, when it comes to "The War Of The Worlds broadcast...and how much devistation [sic} it brought in just one night," I disagree. Please see the following articles.

 https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/10/30/241797346/75-years-ago-war-of-the-worlds-started-a-panic-or-did-it

 

https://slate.com/culture/2013/10/orson-welles-war-of-the-worlds-panic-myth-the-infamous-radio-broadcast-did-not-cause-a-nationwide-hysteria.html

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

And speaking of social media: "Life was a lot simpler when ‘boot up’ and ‘log on’ was something you did when you wanted to warm your feet by the fire." -- Red Green