10-25-2001, 05:39 AM | #1 |
Sapling
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: O
Posts: 5
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Alternative News Sources
The American Media is getting a bit scary and rather zealous lately, reminding me of news scenes from "Starship Troopers". My brother thought the movie was extremely corny, as did I.
But when the American media starts sounding exactly like that, it gives me the shivers!! And the way the news is presented!! All very well to keep spirits up, but frustrating if you're after objectivity and accuracy. Here are some links to alternative news sites: Sydney Morning Herald www.smh.com.au Times of India www.timesofindia.com The Moscow Times www.themoscowtimes.com The UK Guardian www.guardian.co.uk The British Broadcasting Corporation news.bbc.co.uk The UK Independent www.independent.co.uk They'll give you a more rounded and hopefully more objective picture. It always helps to look at something from other sources. Last edited by Gagool the Old : 10-25-2001 at 05:43 AM. |
10-25-2001, 03:29 PM | #2 |
Retired Ent
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 60,631
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I think the media is doing a good job of being objective. Where are you from?
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10-25-2001, 09:52 PM | #3 |
Sapling
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: O
Posts: 5
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Not really objective, Bmilder. When a country goes to war, its media takes the country's side. It's true of any country in the world, so I don't really blame the US media alone. The tendency is to exaggerate successes and downplay casualties.
So to get proper news, we need to see what others are saying. Mind you, us Brits, Indians and the Guys Down Under are Allies. You get to know a few things from the foreign media: 1) The Sydney Morning Herald reported the accidental bombing of a hospital in Kabul. It took several more days for the US media to report that. 2)The BBC published an article stating that precision weapons aren't all that precise. Some have a margin of error of 10 meters, and laser signals are easily obscured by mist. 3)The UK Guardian suggests that the US may have lost 5 helicopters to Taliban fire. It also reports that Northern Alliance aren't saints. Abdul Rashid Dostum's troops switch sides regularly and are loathed by all Afghans. 4)The India Times reported that the Northern Alliance is still stuck. And so on. As for US objectivity, well, it's all down to style. The British media tend to understate things, interview different sides, then leave you to make up your mind. The high quality ones, that is. I'm not talking about tabloids like "the Sun". The US media tend to get carried away by their feelings, and mix a lot of style and emotion with the news. I blame the Pullitzer Prize for awarding style as well as objective info. Do away with it!! As for where I'm from, well, most links I gave are British. What do you think, you colonial yokel? Last edited by Gagool the Old : 10-25-2001 at 09:56 PM. |
10-25-2001, 11:08 PM | #4 |
Entwife
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: louisville
Posts: 3,718
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He/she's absolutly right Ben. It is no secret that US news reports are a bit biased. To get a complete picture you need several different news sources. The Guardian is particularly good. NPR (National Public Radio) is a good alternative American source.
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09-30-2002, 05:00 PM | #5 |
Dúnedain Ranger of the North
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: The Ruins of Arnor
Posts: 892
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NPR as an alternative?? its more like left-wing propaganda.
to get a rwell-rounded view on events, its best to get it from the varoious sources, including U.S. media, and draw your own cunclusions. Don't accept any one source as fact as they all are tilted in favor of one opinion or another, no matter what country they are from.
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10-01-2002, 01:09 AM | #6 |
Fowl Administrator
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada
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How 'bout The Onion?
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10-01-2002, 01:10 AM | #7 |
Fowl Administrator
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Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada
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Oh. And Times of India = CRAP. Trust me, I've had more than a few run-ins with it, and it's very consistent. That is to say, consistently full of bollocks.
Wasn't it them who immediately blamed Palestine for the WTC attacks? I know at least one of those "objective sources" did...
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10-01-2002, 01:54 AM | #8 |
Elven Warrior
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Canada
Posts: 479
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I think all news sources have crap in there somewhere or other, whether by design or by oversight. Assume that there is bias in everything. Look at a variety of sources, making sure that as many varying biases as possible represented, and then draw your own conclusions. It's more work, but I think that this is the process that one has to undergo in any information-gathering exercise.
To address Gagool's comment, I am finding a certain segment of the mainstream American media (not all, just a somewhat more extreme segment, but mainstream nonetheless) to be frighteningly jingoistic, but then again, I'm not American. Maybe if I was, I'd be all happy and approving and chanting the jingos right along with everyone else. But I'm not. I'm sitting on the other side of the border wondering what the rest of us are going to do if this other country down South goes out of control. Which just reaffirms a very obvious idea: point of view has a big impact. Get a variety of them just to be safe. |
10-01-2002, 09:28 AM | #9 |
I Antha
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: You expect ME to know?
Posts: 784
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I think all medias are just trying to look like there behind there country and try and give a good spin on it.
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10-01-2002, 10:04 AM | #10 |
protector of orphaned rabbits
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Kalamazoo... yes, its a real place!
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well of course the media is downplaying bad things! what else can they do with the gov'ts hands round thier neck telling them in thier ears that they need to boost supposrt for this "war"
as for this country, ive just about figured things out so that i can come into yours, mirrille! you have some good points, gagool, but know that some americans don't want to know the truth and all they really want is to hide behind thier flags, they have pride, yes, but it only goes about an inch or so down.
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