How Biased is the media?

[rANdoMtATuFaN]

OK - so, in school, we were having this discussion about why there are so many more gun deaths in the U.S. than any other country. It can't be violent movies violent movies, music, video games, etc. We realized that the news does play a huge role - constantly pumping fear into people.

Anyway, we were analyzing how the news stations always twist stories or only show stories that appeal to the public. I mean, u never hear "And today, there was no fighting in this country...." It's always about war and someone getting shot and stuff like that. Also, pointless stories get so much more attention than other, more important stories - all to appeal to the public. Why? Controversy sells, violence/death sells. So, I was wondering...what is the news like where u live? I mean, every country I have been to has a different way of showing the people what is going on in the world - the news stations tend to be different based on the country u're in. Some are more factual while others play on the emotions of the viewer. Is news meant to be for entertainment or simply, to inform?

OK - I'll stop rambling and let u answer my question. Also, I want to know your thoughts on biased info presented to us by the media - it's supposed to be objectional but usually isn't (this being a t.A.T.u. forum, i'm assuming ppl would have strong opinions on this, last point).

[haku]

why there are so many more gun deaths in the U.S. than any other country.
Because you *have* guns, lots of them, way more than any other country in the world.

[cirrus]

I believe the media's biased. To some extent. I don't feel like giving a big analysis, but I wanna say that the Media and major news networks are owned by entertainment corporations, so they basically compete to get the most viewers. And how do they do that? Give the public what they want... Some news stations are very biased - conservative or liberal - to attract an audience. Some people won't even watch other news stations because they don't trust / like the other side of the story :(


why there are so many more gun deaths in the U.S. than any other country.

Watch Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine". It's a funny documentary on America's "obsession" with guns. And haku, he explains how Canada has a lot of guns, but few shootings...

[shizzo]

haku - not entirely true. There are several countries in
the world which also have considerable numbers of firearms
within their borders. Canada, for example, has a high number of
guns due to the popularity of hunting throughout the country.
This was one of several topics discussed in Michael Moore's film
"Bowling for Columbine" - why aren't there as many gun-deaths
in Canada if they have just as many guns?

Simple conclusion : the media in Canada hasn't taken control of
the mindsets of the people as it's done in the States. There's
a segment in the film which discusses the rampant "state of fear"
that the U.S. media creates because of reasons rANdoMtATuFaN
already named : drama, controversy, and "thrills" are what
U.S. citizens expect from the news. The ten-o'clock news
[which I'm currently watching] is full of stories about who's
been murdered, which houses burned down, ongoing political
debate - tidbits of "entertainment". This type of subtle
control over what Americans are exposed to shapes the
perspective they have of the outside world - i.e., violence
and crime are in control. Response? Defend yourself. [Or, as
it was so delicately deducted in "BfC" - resort to violence to
settle disputes, to let go of anger, or to "solve problems".]

So to conclude, I agree with a lot of what rANdoMtATuFaN
already stated. I think that a twisted sort of logic has been
instilled in the mindsets of the American people : if you need
cash, rob a store. If the kids in your school make fun of you,
render their opinions as baseless by shooting a few of them.
It's not that it makes people think it's right to do so - it's that
it presents another option to choose. And of course, the
quality of certain people's decisions isn't always that high.

[thegurgi]

i'm just gonna say "DUH!! Of Course the Media is Biased!" and leave it at that. It's a simple truth.... and it's well illustrated in the Kent Song "Just Like Money"
< song lyric >
I got a message from the screen subliminal
Like a sign saying no one cares no more
And all the networks and the TV stations
Feed me lies and simple explanations
But they can't fool me
On the state of this nation

(....)

And does the networks and the TV stations
And the lies, the sex, the fake relations
Tell you something about the state of the nation?
< end song lyric >

[Charles]

Not only is the media biased, but there are some very twisted individuals there too. Years ago, I was repairing a computer in a TV newsroom. They got a call saying a 9 year old had just been killed when a garbage truck backed over her. The reporter jump from her chair and cried out "We've got a fatal!" She was happy. She was almost exctatic.

Ever hear Dirty Laundry by Don Henley? Part of it goes "...the bubble headed bleach blond comes on at 5. She can tell 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye..."

Media bias is a problem, particularly in the US where competition in media ownership is shrinking fast. I know media is biased, and I try to take that into account when I hear any news.

[QueenBee]

The media is VERY biased. I hope all media is destroyed and .. uh.. something. I just hate it. From women discrimination to war and death. It is like a sick game. :spy:

why there are so many more gun deaths in the U.S. than any other country.

Because anybody in the states can buy a gun as long as their crime record is clear (or sometimes not..). It's easy buying guns in the street too. But the police doesn't have the records of the mentally ill people, so if I suffer from mental illness I can still buy a gun and go out shooting people. I kill 20 people, get myself a good lawyer, get away with it all and next week I plan on blowing stuff in the air.

[goku]

Really?? You mean Russia actually loses in a category of crime rate? Well then. We have to fix that! JK

[Lux]

not anyone can get a gun here. there's usually an age limit and a fee to pay. it varies in from state to state. and there are laws for carrying a concealed weapons anyway

QB - i don't agree. justice does get served, but the american judicial system is messed, if you have the $ you're more likely to get off...unless one of the options is *dont* commit a crime to begin with..

OH, the media. heh. i agree with the person who said that media is biased because most of the networks/magazines are owned by corporations, and what do they do? maximize profit no matter what. that results in manipulation of various things.

i also think that the media has to keep people paying attention to the next best thing. it's marketing, in a way, and that isn't always truthful.

[ypsidan04]

Originally posted by haku
Because you *have* guns, lots of them, way more than any other country in the world.

You got that right. Way too many. :none: Unless I'm mistaken, in Russia ("the best country in the world" ;) ), the only people that can have guns are the police and military.
Originally posted by cirrus
Watch Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine". It's a funny documentary on America's "obsession" with guns. And haku, he explains how Canada has a lot of guns, but few shootings...

And Britain, and Australia.... :rolleyes:

cniaju - I know several people who only watch Canadian news (thankfully we're close enough to Windsor to pick up CBC) for several reasons: It's national news, and as such isn't filled with "whats-his-face killed so and so on the East side...", and they are almost always unbiased.

thegurgi - allow me to add my own topical lyrics (Where is the Love by Black Eyed Peas)

"A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love"
......
"Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids act like what they see in the cinema*
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity"

*However, in the vast majority of cases, I think that is false.

[Lux]

america DOES have the most guns but that sort of logic can't be used. the more guns we have, the higher the crime rate. many other factors play into crime rate.

the united states has more nuclear weapons than the rest of the world combined, and that logica can't be applied. no one can have a nuclear weapon and as far as i'm sure, the US isn't the ones who sell them on the black market or use them to threaten. that's just an illustration how the above said logic has no validity. it does have influence but the logic doesn't work

[PowerPuff Grrl]

Is the media biased?!
Yes, good God yes!!!

I have noticed that American newcasting is pretty poor in just overall coverage and objectivity. Networks like MSNBC and CNN always covered the news in the right wing perspective. But as soon as Fox News entered the picture... damn, it was like as if the political spectrum was rearranged. Everything that was considered to be right-leaning (CNN, MSNBC, ABC, etc) was considered liberal while anything right to extremely-f'ing-right was considered the norm of the right wing.

Their reporting of President Bush is hilarious comparing to Clinton. Bush gets away with running the economy down to crap (the likes of which has not been seen since the Depression), practically destroying any foriegn relations that was left from his uninvolvemnet from the Kyoto protocol, his "misunderestimating" of Iraq, not to mention, of course, still not finding Osama Bin Laden.

It is soooo hilarious that the press can glorify this man after all that has happened while nearly crucifying former President Clinton for getting a blowjob.

There are numerous examples of this. For anybody interested try to watch the documentary "The Myth of the Liberal Media" by Noam Chomsky. Ironically, I don't think it is available in any universities across the States.

[coolasfcuk]

Originally posted by ypsidan04
Unless I'm mistaken, in Russia ("the best country in the world" ), the only people that can have guns are the police and military.
well then... you must be mistaken ;)

[Lux]

bush is just ... :none:

true, clinton was a way better president because he was brilliant with foreign relations [and a democrat :gigi:].
as for the middle eastern conflict there are many factors. bush was never going to find wmd because that wasn't ever his agenda. even before he became president his agenda was to turn the middle east into the US's own lil colony.
for example, all of the suicide plane hijackers of 9-11 were from..not iraq..but saudi arabia. why not harass them? because we have good oil relations with them. as for iraq, we replaced their government with what we think is a better one, and we may be right but it is NOT our place to prop them up like that. not to mention, the oil relations. if we have good oil relations i.e. control we have a means of controlling the other oil dependent countries of the world. although this is a small factor, it is still a factor.
why didn't france and germany speak up? [maybe it was britain i'm not sure]
because the french have been engaged in weapons trade for awhile and they didn't want to mess that up.

*huffs*


i won't go on. the media here is SOOO biased and bush is not a good president. he doesn't have a grasp on how the world really is, and ways to work through problems. not to mention the fact that he's homophobic and a horrible speaker.

[Tom Violence]

Originally posted by ypsidan04
And Britain, and Australia.... :rolleyes:


Britian has very, very little gun culture. Even the vast majority of the police force do not carry guns in Britain.

According to Bowling for Columbine, Canada - with a population of about 30 million - had about 250 firearm fatalities in the year for which statistics were cited. With double the population, Britain had about a fifth of that figure. So Canada had a tenfold higher proportion of gun related deaths. I think the much readier availability of guns in Canada almost certainly must be a factor behind this huge gulf.

Of course, US statistics are utterly, almost incomprehensibly obscene by comparision - and maybe the 'culture of fear' is what sets that country apart. It would be nice to see an end to it.

However 250 firearm deaths in one year is still too many. Very few people can argue that they need a gun. I don't care how sodding exciting some people find shooting paper targets or assorted animals. That's not enough.

[haku]

Originally posted by Lux
the united states has more nuclear weapons than the rest of the world combined, and that logica can't be applied. [...] that's just an illustration how the above said logic has no validity. it does have influence but the logic doesn't work
The US is the country with the most nuclear weapons, and the ONLY one who actually used them in an armed conflict, on civilians. Coincidence?

Originally posted by Lux
why didn't france and germany speak up?
Why didn't France and Germany speak up against the war in Iraq? You MUST be kidding right?
Or are the media in the US so biased that they never showed any of what French and German officials said?

Originally posted by Lux
because the french have been engaged in weapons trade for awhile and they didn't want to mess that up.
France is engaged in weapons trade? Ouch, yeah, we're the only country in the world that does that. But which client are we talking about here? Iraq? France doesn't sell weapons to Iraq (Not since the Iraq/Iran war). Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia only buys weapons to the US. That's the only two countries you mentioned, maybe you were thinking of another one?

Originally posted by Tom Violence
I think the much readier availability of guns in Canada almost certainly must be a factor behind this huge gulf.
I totally agree. The more guns, the more deaths by guns. True, other factors apply, but when you don't have guns, you can't kill people with what you don't have. And i know there are other ways to kill, but that's not what's happening in countries with no guns. Western European countries almost have no guns at all, does that mean we have huge numbers of murders by knife, poison, crowbar, baseball bat, whatever... No!
Killing with a gun is A LOT easier, even cowards can do it. You can take an automatic weapon and kill 20 people in 3 minutes! You can't do that with a knife.

[kishkash]

LOL...the american news is a joke...there IS no news. Its all propaganda.

Very few people in the States are getting the full story. They are either blinded by their patriotism to a fatal flaw or they are blinded by the one sided news reports, or the incoherent babblings of the President.

Too bad many of the ppl in the US can't see the picture as the rest of the world does :none:

[Charles]

Originally posted by PowerPuff Grrl

I have noticed that American newcasting is pretty poor in just overall coverage and objectivity. Networks like MSNBC and CNN always covered the news in the right wing perspective. But as soon as Fox News entered the picture... damn, it was like as if the political spectrum was rearranged. Everything that was considered to be right-leaning (CNN, MSNBC, ABC, etc) was considered liberal while anything right to extremely-f'ing-right was considered the norm of the right wing.


Yep, you've hit the nail on the head. There is a bias to the right that makes some right wing media look like left wing media if only by comparison.

One of the specific things that just drives me nuts in the news is the way our government can proclaim opinion as as fact, and no one in the media calls them on it. Its like the fable of the emperor who has no clothes, but no one dares call him on it. If a reporter at a White House press conference asks too many difficult questions, that reporter is bared from future White House press conferences.

[PowerPuff Grrl]

Charles, I have never really paid much attention to American News Programs, except for this one time, when I watched their coverage of the war in Iraq. The one that pissed me off was the way they named it the "Operation: Freedom in Iraq" with the music and the special effects, etc. I swear it looked liked I was watching MTV.

Not to mention, of course, "Embedded Journalism."
Talk about having the point of unbiased journalism go right over your head! You're reporting from the pont of view of the military! Yeah, 'cause like they're not going give you one-sided views on the war.
:rolleyes:

Besides, when you have Geraldo Riveria doing your reporting, you know something just isn't right.


Btw, on the whole gun issue thingy, Canada was like 4th or 5th on that list. It isn't like we came right after the States, there were some countries between. Anybody remember which ones they were? I'm pretty sure the lowest was something like 63 for either Japan or Australia.

If only somebody could get the actual list, I don't think the UK scored that low. You guys probably had like a hundred or so.

I'm not trying to defend Canada or anything, for one thing I really didn't like the Canada was glorified in the documentary. That isn't the kind of projects you would normally find in Toronto. Just try to see that walking around Jane & Finch. For the love of God, I have NEVER heard of anybody not locking their doors.

FYI, Michael Moore is infamous for fudging some facts in all of his documentaries.

[Lux]

haku - the media is so biased.

my opinions are a conglomeration of information i've read, discussions i've had with others, and liberal perspectives. i'm not kidding in any of it. everyone prob disagrees with me because my view is so very sheltered - liberal university campus in a liberal town, where many ppl hate the hell out of bush and his entire agenda.

[Khartoun2004]

hey you all seem to have forgotten that the US has something called the bill of rights. The reason there are so many guns in the US held be civilains is because of the 2nd Amendment to the constitution. Which states that every citizen has the right to keep and bare arms. Period, end of story.

When that amendment was made the US was brand spanking new and very vulnerable to attack from Native Americans, England (war of 1812), France, Cananda, Spain, and countless other European Powers. It was esstential for people to be able to carry weapons to protect their country. The US had a very, and I mean very, small Army that was not well trained at the time and poorly supplied. We mostly relied on local militia to protect cities and towns from attack. That's the precedent for the modern age. That's lawyers use in court and lawmakers in the House Senate use to block gun control laws here in the present. The US Judiciary system is not based off of French jucidary systems where precedent has no meaning, just the law and what it states. Here if you can find enough precedent for something or against something you can change anything, but since the precedent for guns is, Yes you can have them, the idea that will change is highly unlikely anytime in the near future.

That's my two cents.

[kishkash]

LOL@the image of Canada attacking anyone :D

[haku]

And the concept that colonists were defending "their" country from the attacks of native Americans is interesting... :rolleyes:

[shizzo]

Originally posted by haku
And the concept that colonists were defending "their" country from the attacks of native Americans is interesting... :rolleyes:

Heh, I made a joke at work on Thanksgiving about how
important and nationalistic it is for Americans to celebrate
the anniversary of a feast preceding the abruptly organized
containment of those whose land was stolen in the interest
of "human rights". And man, that backfired. I don't know
what the reason behind this is*, but a considerable number
of Americans turn blindly defensive of the U.S. at any
mention of past events which darkened the country's
reputation.

[* Actually, I do know. There's a default reflex instilled in
most Americans to "love thy country, defend yeselves" and
so forth. Any anti-U.S. comments are immediately rendered
stupid and ignorant due to the common baseless claims,
such as "The U.S. is the best country in the world!" or "We
have the most (add noun here), so there!", which run
rampant in discussions and debates. The aforementioned
comment was added just to soften the impact of the fact
that followed, just in case anybody here had that same
reflex instilled in them.]

[parrish122]

This reminds me of when I was in college, and my teacher had us defend topics she *knew* we disagreed with. She said that she wanted us to see if we could be creative enough to defend the opinion we were against.

So I got stuck with having to prove that gun control was a bad idea. This was hard for me, since personally I think it's too easy to get a gun these days. Plus everything I looked up supported what I believed.

I ended up basing my paper (that we also had to read to the class) on the fact that people can't depend on other people to protect them. Which is true....not everyone is a good person, and there are many that just won't get involved.

I gave *tons* of examples of people flat-out ignoring when someone was being attacked, not even bothering to call the police.

I ended up getting a perfect score on that paper, even if my teacher complained that I'd given her nightmares. :)

Parrish

[spyretto]

the media in most countries are similar to the American ones cause it's the Americans who set the standards in this area ( CNN and the like ) So every new reporter all over the world wants to be the next Bernard Shaw. Lots of violence, personal disasters etc. in the news, everywhere.

[ypsidan04]

Originally posted by kishkash
LOL...the american news is a joke...there IS no news. Its all propaganda.

Very few people in the States are getting the full story. They are either blinded by their patriotism to a fatal flaw

I really don't like people that are overly-patriotic. :rolleyes:

[Lux]

kishkash - i don't agree.


i think the views here are skewed because of how biased the media is but across college campuses the views are less skewed because the concentration of intelligent people is higher than other places.

[spyretto]

I was thinking exactly the same thing...their over-patrotism and narrow mindedness (sic!) is causing problems. A point in case: As it transpires, G.W Bush will probably be re-elected. The Democrats are making a mistake relying their campaign on things that don't really interest Americans ( especially the war in Iraq ). Bush's re-election may be inconceivable for some but all indications show that it will happen.
I believe the American conservatives are content with the way Bush is handling the situation, getting the problem as far away from them as possible. Americans are divided over Bush and that shows that he'll probably be re-elected, I'm afraid.

This will be a worry for the rest of the world, as what U.S. does affects everybody. With Bush we're heading for another four years of turmoil and fanatism. Things are not going to slow down under the W.G. Bush administration of Neo-Reaganists..

The way the big networks in America are handiling international news is another example. It's because Americans are not interested in what's going on around them as long as it doesn't affect their neighborhood. Ok, some people have servicemen in Iraq but their overt patriotism wins over their personal worries. They're supposed to be serving their country, and the media has brainwashed everybody for the necessity of the war in Iraq, before. They equated Saddam with Hitler, showcased what an immense thread was for America and the world, etc. Ok, well, weapons of mass destruction or Al-Qaeda links were never found but what's the difference anyway, what's done is done now, right? Lets finish the job and get the hell outta there asap.

And what about Palestine? common now!!

This is the impression I get, I've never lived in America to know what is really like. I'm sure there are voices out there hoping for peace but peace for some in America is unfortunately equated with constant turmoil around the world.

[taty994945]

The media is quite biased.

[PowerPuff Grrl]

Ok, it is pretty much a given that the mainstream American media is biased.

How about the news from our own countries?
Can you sense if there is a bias?
If yes, is it a conservative or liberal bias?
etc...

For Canada I can only tell if it involves strictly Canadian affairs. When it does the conversative babble hits you like a tonne of bricks. They'll always examine the Liberal government with a magnifying glass (though, sometimes it is a very good thing that they do).

But when it comes to international affairs though, I really can't spot anything. Fortunately, I watched the BBC (UK), CNN (US), MSNBC (US), FoxNews (US), and CBC (Canadian) so I could get a comparison from the media outlets from three different countries. As it has already been establish, the American media is biased, I so won't go into that. With BBC though, I got the impression that they truly wanted this war to fail miserably, so yeah, I think there's is a left wing bias there (what a contrast!).

But with CBC I didn't pick up on any leanings on any side. Maybe it is because I'm Canadian I couldn't really see it or something. Perhaps there are some Americans residing near the border that could comment on the coverage.