An offloading rambly vent.

How much do you believe of what you read/hear/see in the media?

Often because it is our only source of information about a story we can only believe what they tell us and assume that it is reliable right?
I think it is hard for anyone not to be swayed by what we see on supposedly reputable news/media shows etc, especially when the news stories have an emotional element that is close to home eg: stories involving children.

I've just had a big wakeup call about how skewed the reports can be, and in some cases, just plain wrong! And all for the sake of a story.
It is so frustrating to see things that you know are wrong printed and shown in the local media. Especially when the story is just so sad for everyone involved and really doesn't need embellishing or added scandal.
Its hard to say nothing when people are voicing opinions based on what you know are inaccurate facts.

Sorry if I sound like a crazy person! I've been stewing away on this and needed to get some of it out of my head. I'm taking off my tinfoil hat now

I get where you're coming from. I don't watch the news except for the occasional night where there might be something worthwhile (once every couple of months maybe). The news makes me very angry. I can think of a number of things I have seen on there where I have known that what they are saying is not fact. I don't like the way they insinuate things. I especially don't like the way they jump on the Police every time there are 'reports' that they have not acted correctly. I believe it's hugely becuase of the media we've got so many thugs out there thinking they are untouchable by the police. They have enough to try and cope with without being publicly bagged all the time. The government doesn't support them properly, the media doesn't and neither does half the country.
I could go on all day.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets cross with them.

Hehe - I'm in a good mood today too and I still managed to type all that.

Edited by Aprilfools

Mel, i agree too...

but what has happened to get you so upset?

i was watching something on sky the other night on how media report things and show video coverage - most times its just the 'bad' part and not a lead up to the action: EG:

Man hold a knife just standing in front of 3 police officers, man seems to not be a threat and then one of the poilce shot him in the stomach (man later dies) it seems like he was shot for no reason.. then they showed you extra footage. A. the man was in a rage like minutes before lunging with the knife and b. he was outside the white house.

There was others but just made you think of what gets shown and what actually happens.

I'm a journalist, I've been trained to be cynical. I know the spin that I myself have put on stories, so I am well aware of how misleading the media can be. Still, it does serve a purpose: freedom of the press gives us as a society the freedom to make up our own mind about a particular story/event.

I take everything I hear/watch/read with a grain of salt... My mum is in the public arena and some of the things that have been said about her or friends is utter rubbish. Makes me mad too!

Maya wrote: freedom of the press gives us as a society the freedom to make up our own mind about a particular story/event.

I agree but its when you dont get the full story how can you make up your mind about something unless you have all the correct fact. Like with that whole police Rickards/Louise thing, they made them out to be nice people, would never do such a thing blah blah blah when in all reality some of them were all ready serving time for similar crimes. Im all for freedom of speech but I dont like not having all the facts before I form an opinion.

it depends on peoples perceptions and then how they report it......i was misquoted one time in the media and got real stick for it from some corners of the profession...nothign too bad but could have been perceived the wrong way by some at the time!