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hedwards: The BBC in general is pretty good, but they've got a definite pro-Israel bias in their middle east reporting.
I've seen their reports on the Palestinian smugglers, the risks they take and who they've helped. I've seen their reports on Palestinian artists and musicians expressing their feelings in non-violent ways. I've seen reports on unlawful killings by Israeli forces. Their use of white phosphorous on UN schools. Their murder of activists in international waters.

I've not seen a whole lot of bias, to be honest. Yes they don't try and camouflage the fact that Hamas are terrorists or the rockets constantly being fired on Israel, but then that would be pro-Palestinian bias and they don't seem to have that either.
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CaptainGyro: what does this even mean?
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Navagon: It means the majority of US news... isn't.
Well i figured that's what you meant but I was hoping you would elaborate cause I still don't get it. What is wrong with this? How is this "Reality Based Infotainement" as opposed to whatever standard of real news is supposed to be
http://www.cnn.com/


or this?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507/ns/world_news



Here's the BBC site that i assume you approve of. What's the difference?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Post edited March 11, 2011 by CaptainGyro
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Navagon: It means the majority of US news... isn't.
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CaptainGyro: Well i figured that's what you meant but I was hoping you would elaborate cause I still don't get it. What is wrong with this? How is this "Reality Based Infotainement" as opposed to whatever standard of real news is supposed to be
http://www.cnn.com/


or this?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507/ns/world_news



Here's the BBC site that i assume you approve of. What's the difference?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
All 24 hour news networks in the US have one driving force behind their reporting and it is not the truth or informing the public... it's ratings. They are in the business of creating easily digestible and enjoyable "stories" that will draw in viewers for the sole purpose of selling advertising time on the network, no more, no less. Networks like the BBC or PBS are different in that they are not dependent on advertising, but are rather government supported public services. That lack of advertising dependence frees them from the need to sensationalize the news for the sake of the almighty dollar and just report the facts. Admittedly, there is still the possibility that the personal opinions of those producing the news shows can creep in to the broadcast, but marketing the "news" to certain demographics as channels like FOX, MSNBC and even CNN always do never enters the picture.
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CaptainGyro: Well i figured that's what you meant but I was hoping you would elaborate cause I still don't get it. What is wrong with this? How is this "Reality Based Infotainement" as opposed to whatever standard of real news is supposed to be
http://www.cnn.com/


or this?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507/ns/world_news



Here's the BBC site that i assume you approve of. What's the difference?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
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cogadh: All 24 hour news networks in the US have one driving force behind their reporting and it is not the truth or informing the public... it's ratings. They are in the business of creating easily digestible and enjoyable "stories" that will draw in viewers for the sole purpose of selling advertising time on the network, no more, no less. Networks like the BBC or PBS are different in that they are not dependent on advertising, but are rather government supported public services. That lack of advertising dependence frees them from the need to sensationalize the news for the sake of the almighty dollar and just report the facts. Admittedly, there is still the possibility that the personal opinions of those producing the news shows can creep in to the broadcast, but marketing the "news" to certain demographics as channels like FOX, MSNBC and even CNN always do never enters the picture.
Ok. So what are the "easily digestible and enjoyable 'stories' from the sites I listed, and how does the BBC site differ?
Post edited March 11, 2011 by CaptainGyro
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cogadh: All 24 hour news networks in the US have one driving force behind their reporting and it is not the truth or informing the public... it's ratings. They are in the business of creating easily digestible and enjoyable "stories" that will draw in viewers for the sole purpose of selling advertising time on the network, no more, no less. Networks like the BBC or PBS are different in that they are not dependent on advertising, but are rather government supported public services. That lack of advertising dependence frees them from the need to sensationalize the news for the sake of the almighty dollar and just report the facts. Admittedly, there is still the possibility that the personal opinions of those producing the news shows can creep in to the broadcast, but marketing the "news" to certain demographics as channels like FOX, MSNBC and even CNN always do never enters the picture.
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CaptainGyro: Ok. So what are the "easily digestible and enjoyable 'stories' from the sites I listed, and how does the BBC site differ?
I'm talking about the broadcast news, not the website. You don't get the tone and intent from text that you get from the actual live person who is "performing" the news for their demographic. However, if you really want to compare, find a video clip on each site that covers the same topic and you very easily see the bias; probably not with today's top story (the Japan earthquake), but pretty much any other story, especially those that relate to politics.
well I'm taking about websites, since that is where the whole conversation started from. Navagon said it wouldn't make any differnce what kind of link the Op posted, and basically said we have no real news sites
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CaptainGyro: well I'm taking about websites, since that is where the whole conversation started from. Navagon said it wouldn't make any differnce what kind of link the Op posted, and basically said we have no real news sites
He's mostly right. If you picked the same exact hot-button news story... the Wisconsin budget battle, for example... then looked at the overall coverage provided by FOX, MSNBC and CNN, you'd get pretty much the same basic facts (often minus some key details) from each of them, but you would also get the "spin'" as FOX clearly sides with the governor and while painting the unions as "rabble rousers" and the Democrats as shirking their duties, MSNBC clearly sides with the unions and wayward Democrats while painting the Republicans as near criminal overlords and CNN waffles between the two, depending on who is doing the reporting and where their ratings are at this week (CNN's waffling actually makes it the closest thing to unbiased, but only in that it will often present multiple accounts that are biased in either direction, rather than truly unbiased reporting of "just the facts"). Picking out a single article isn't going to tell you much, but reviewing their entire take on a subject is quite revealing. Stories that aren't politically motivated, such as the current disaster in Japan, are the only places where you can pretty much get totally unbiased reporting from any of them.
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USERNAME:cogadh#Q&_^Q&Q#GROUP:4#Q&_^Q&Q#LINK:53#Q&_^Q&Q#Stories that aren't politically motivated, such as the current disaster in Japan, are the only places where you can pretty much get totally unbiased reporting from any of them.#Q&_^Q&Q#LINK:53#Q&_^Q&Q#
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Well, I haven't heard Glen Beck's take on the disaster yet, so that could still happen.
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hedwards: The BBC in general is pretty good, but they've got a definite pro-Israel bias in their middle east reporting.
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Navagon: I've seen their reports on the Palestinian smugglers, the risks they take and who they've helped. I've seen their reports on Palestinian artists and musicians expressing their feelings in non-violent ways. I've seen reports on unlawful killings by Israeli forces. Their use of white phosphorous on UN schools. Their murder of activists in international waters.

I've not seen a whole lot of bias, to be honest. Yes they don't try and camouflage the fact that Hamas are terrorists or the rockets constantly being fired on Israel, but then that would be pro-Palestinian bias and they don't seem to have that either.
I didn't mean to suggest that the bias was huge in size, just that it was definitely present. Sort of the same way that NPR in the US has a definite pro-woman bias when dealing with women's rights issues, whether or not women are right in a given issue.
It's ok gang. I think hedwards was just suggesting to keep an open mind. Besides, unbiased was the wrong word for me to use. PBS is a government funded program (although a large portion of content is independent) run by humans after all. Least biased television broadcast is the best description.
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KyleKatarn: It's ok gang. I think hedwards was just suggesting to keep an open mind. Besides, unbiased was the wrong word for me to use. PBS is a government funded program (although a large portion of content is independent) run by humans after all. Least biased television broadcast is the best description.
Right. In general, I love the BBC and NPR as news sources, they're just not perfect. And so, one should guard against whatever biases may be there by adding other sources. But, if you were restricted to those two, over all you'd be pretty well off.

I've found touchy subjects to be the ones most likely to be somewhat less than completely accurate in one direction or the other.

And these days I've been listening to more German radio to get news. Kind of interesting to hear news, particularly about your own country, from a foreign perspective.
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CaptainGyro: well I'm taking about websites, since that is where the whole conversation started from. Navagon said it wouldn't make any differnce what kind of link the Op posted, and basically said we have no real news sites
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cogadh: He's mostly right. If you picked the same exact hot-button news story... the Wisconsin budget battle, for example... then looked at the overall coverage provided by FOX, MSNBC and CNN, you'd get pretty much the same basic facts (often minus some key details) from each of them, but you would also get the "spin'" as FOX clearly sides with the governor and while painting the unions as "rabble rousers" and the Democrats as shirking their duties, MSNBC clearly sides with the unions and wayward Democrats while painting the Republicans as near criminal overlords and CNN waffles between the two, depending on who is doing the reporting and where their ratings are at this week (CNN's waffling actually makes it the closest thing to unbiased, but only in that it will often present multiple accounts that are biased in either direction, rather than truly unbiased reporting of "just the facts"). Picking out a single article isn't going to tell you much, but reviewing their entire take on a subject is quite revealing. Stories that aren't politically motivated, such as the current disaster in Japan, are the only places where you can pretty much get totally unbiased reporting from any of them.
Alright I don't disagree with that, everybody knows MSNBC and Fox put a different spin on things. I don't even believe that an unbiased news channel exists anywhere though

If that's what was meant, I don't think saying things such as " It wouldn't matter... america doesn't have news....it's infotainement.... most of your media portrays you as vapid and mindless....easily digestible and enjoyable stories etc etc " really fit.

It makes it sound like US news sites are all about trivial topics and oblivious to the rest of the world while everybody else is covering the real stories
Post edited March 12, 2011 by CaptainGyro
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CaptainGyro: It makes it sound like US news sites is all about trivial topics while the rest of the world is covering the real stories
We used to have real news, but unfortunately they are no longer printing the WWN.
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CaptainGyro: Here's the BBC site that i assume you approve of. What's the difference?
Well the difference, as cogadh has already pointed out, is that the BBC is to all intents and purposes publicly funded. They have no ratings drive. No target audience to pander to. They haven't picked a popular British political party and consistently demonstrated a bias towards that party.

They haven't pandered to xenophobia by labelling a country of over a billion people as nothing but goons and thugs (CNN). They actually ensure that while they cover the opinions of individuals who write for the BBC, those opinions are kept to columns and entirely separate from the news articles.

It should also be noted that these opinions aren't baseless hyperbole too. More often than not they're written in a way to show you their perspective on the matter rather than simply stating the conclusions they've reached. In short they're not representing opinion as fact.

As for MSNBC they may not be quite as extreme as FOX, but they are their leftist*counterpart.

*that is to say leftist by American standards. Quite a bit right of centre.
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CaptainGyro: well I'm taking about websites, since that is where the whole conversation started from. Navagon said it wouldn't make any differnce what kind of link the Op posted, and basically said we have no real news sites
I actually never mentioned sites in that comment. I was referring to American news in general and used the word "mostly" which generally refers to the most dominant news agencies like those three already covered.

There are plenty of internet sources, including those originating from the US, that would have included enough fact to be able to determine if this bill would have targeted miscarriages as claimed by the more opinionated and biased sources. But Fox News ain't it.
Post edited March 12, 2011 by Navagon
I wasn't quite sure what you meant, which is why I asked. I thought maybe you were going in a different direction( that I have seen others go into), but now that you've clarified it doesn't really matter.

I actually agree with what you said for the most part in your last post. After posting that CNN link, I saw the article about how the CNN crew got captured and they used " thugs" "jerk", and thought "oh shit it's gonna be easy for someone to point out the fault in this site".

CNN and MSNBC aren't my ideas of perfect newssites either. I just noticed you weren't critical of the BBC, so as a comparison I was trying to bring some sites that had an equivalent sized audience ( or the closest thing to it). But like I said, since you've clarified what you've meant, it doesn't even matter.
Post edited March 12, 2011 by CaptainGyro