Archived Anybody else think that news media is no longer dependable for news? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by WhiteRonin
Posted by: WhiteRonin
Posting time: 3.8 years ago on
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Archived on: 6/3/2017 10:00:00 AM
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73 upvotes, 3 downvotes (96% upvoted it)
Archived Anybody else think that news media is no longer dependable for news? (AskVoat)
submitted ago by WhiteRonin
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[–] BAAC 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
As someone who spent a couple of decades as a journalist... No. None of them are any good. They never have been, but they were better at their jobs before. Now they can't even be bothered.
You need to read everything, talk to everyone, and find the threads that sound honest to you. No single source is reliable all the time.
But - one important thing - social media like FB is not news in any way, shape or form. It never was. It will never be. It is media for sale. It's as neutral and useful as a Gap catalog.
[–] WhiteRonin [S] ago
Awesome to have a person from the business.
When about a was the last time they good at their jobs?
I was thinking Clinton's first term.
[–] BAAC 1 point -1 points 0 points (+0|-1) ago (edited ago)
Hmmm... I don't know. It's been that long. Did the press adequately cover the fact that as many as half a million Iraqi children under five died as a result of Clinton's economic embargoes and no-fly zones? (Remember: they hate us for our freedom...) Well, why would they when he got himself a blowjob in the Oval...?
I think there used to be more professionals in the job, so you had more bright spots. There were men and women who were actually prepared to tell truth to power. Those days are done.
The standard up until about 2000 used to be 3 reputable sources for any story. I had tons of stuff killed because I only had 1 source. And I can remember co-workers chasing stories for weeks until we were 100% sure - sitting in a room with 4 or 5 people debating whether we could run something. In retrospect, it was fantastic.
But, at least in our lifetimes, the media has always been the cheerleader for power. Think yellow cake uranium, Gulf of Tonkin... We've been the tools of government for so long I don't think you can point to a line.
If I had to say what finally killed journalism, it wouldn't be an administration or anyone on the left/right. It was social media, plain and simple. It's now about getting it up first and fast, and fuck your sources. Soon after that happened, PR and spin companies figured they could get their messaging out easily and cheaply because the filters were gone. No one had time for the meeting with 4 editors to see if a story was legit. It would take too long to get it up. Journalism died without so much as a whimper.
I remember picking up the phone once when I first started working and the guy said (not bothering to say 'Hello' first...): "I'm suing you. I'm suing your paper. I'm suing your publisher." Great way to start a conversation. But I had taken a shortcut and relied on one source. Never did it again. I think it's so common now, no one would even make that call anymore.