Is it just me or have others come away with the presentation that media, instead of being non-biased and simply reporting facts of news is now more prone at directing and manufacturing news? Take the attempt by Nigerian Muslim national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to bring down Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. As a former government official at one time I was surprised by the openness of the media and the mad frenzy quest for more information and be the first with “breaking leads and sources.” In my view, the world and especially America, needed reassurance that a terrorist attempt was averted but the world did not need to know so much about procedures and process, which I will not even go into with this post since I am not in favour of too many details and information made public. In fact what goes through my mind is when looking at the information which became public it makes me question what else did happen but not passed (or leaked) to the media…yet. Flight 253 is only one example of many, past and present. While the media is attempting to gather further information from various means many analysts, specialists and government officials are interviewed to further discuss the attempt. People are not stupid and do know how to connect dots provided and not all people doing this are “good guys.” Let’s stop feeding them and concentrate on reporting news with just the public facts please.
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Saying that The U. S. and Saudi Arabia are guilty of manufacturing news is like saying pine trees produce oxygen. Can you name me any example of a completely unbiased news source in any media, anytime in history?
If information seems more biased now to you than before, it may just be a function of increasingly easier access to more sources, but every human has biases (including news reporters) and just an increasing awareness of this fact does not necessarily prove increasinging levels of bias.
A balance of providers is the wisest way to gather knowledge.
The bigger issue, I think is the matter of freedom in general. Nothing can define better a fair form of government than the emphasis put on individual human rights.
Leaving aside all of the bigger philosophical issues humans are currently struggling with, I think it’s safe to say that the system based on The Constitution of The United States of America is fundamentally more just than any other the world has seen to date, including (and especially) the ones represented by such ideas as Sharia Law and the like.
In fact, one could reasonably argue that the two are as opposite each other as night is from day.
So, when one criticizes the “manufacturing” of “news” by certain parties without respect to the context, one is in danger of falling prey to any number of fallacious pitfalls.
Just my opinion, friend.
Happy trails to you and yours.
there is no media without agendas in the world …there is no an absolute free media so far …all media analyzes the news and provides it coherence with their agendas, cultural and political in local and international.
i meant by ‘agendas’ is ideologies to work with far away transferring the news as it is ….
I think you hit the nail on the head…I am not in favor of giving out to much information to the public…hey before everyone jumps and down what I mean is there are some things that should be kept as “trade secrets” for lack of a better word. The public doesn’t need to know or even know how to process the intricate inner workings of the CIA or Pentagon etc.
I think it is very important to tell the news stories and tell them as objectively and honestly as possible. But does John Q Public really need to have every detail squeezed out of the government protecting us? Do they even understand in context what they are hearing? What are they going to do with that information? It makes me rather nervous to hear these reporters going over everything with a fine tooth comb and rehashing every intricate procedure. Do we really have anything to gain my broadcasting our policies and procedures to the entire world?
The thing I find rather repugnant about the whole thing is that I don’t believe it is based in any deep seated caring for the American people’s right to know. I believe it boils down to dollars and cents and being the first one to grab the newest and juiciest detail so that people are focused on your station/reporter/story.
I personally believe that there is something to be said about getting the details on a “need to know ” basis. I don’t think knowing every dinky detail is going to help me understand more, keep me safer, or is even my right. there are some details that should be kept confidential.
I think with the invention of cable news and the internet, news channels have to cover more and therefore run out things to talk about. When I was young girl, just barely in primary school, my family had just a few channels. I still remember my father coming home and telling the family that he must see Walter Cronkite. Back then, the news was brief and more to point.
Today, the news is more “infotainment” and garbage. Last July I was quite erked with the coverage of Micheal Jackson. The Iranian protests were the big news then Michael Jackson, 24/7. Quite sad in my book.
As someone stated here in the post, any media outlet is going to stand on certain platform, right or the left side the isle. However, when it comes to national security issues I think media should keep it to a minimal. It seems to get many upset and come up with unreasonables solutions, and trust me I heard many. I think I will leave it up to the experts around the beltway when it comes to national security issues.
I do not think the news is going to get better. In fact, the quality only seems to get worse all the time. I think it is time to find out the old fashion way and that is to do ones own research and just read from other sources. I do this now.
Hello,
Yes I do still read your blog, even if I don’t comment.
Am I the only person who thinks that investigative journalism is necessary? If the media did not play a role in exposing and digging deep into rumors and going bellow the surface deep “truthiness” cover stories fed by governments.
Humans should be able to connect the dots as you said, but only when all the dots are on the table, including the false ones will a smart human being will be able to figure out the higher truth.
the media has an obligation to help us protect ourselves from government propaganda, classical media is failing in that area so its up to the new media to step up.
“Let’s stop feeding them and concentrate on reporting news with just the public facts please.” your comment scared me. public fact is usually cover up stories and lies.
the practice of most news channels of reporting just the public information looses them credibility. we need journalists who would go beyond to expose propaganda, to expose government control over information.
Salam Alaikum Abdullah Hamed,
Glad to know you still read the blog and welcome your comment. I am not against investigative reporting at all but I am against reporting for the sake of keeping a topic in the forefront and with too much info coming in after any incidents which I do believe give too much info at the time which is not beneficial under either developing circumstances and can play into the hands of the wrong audience.
People who want to know”things” can always find out (thanks internet). In the meantime, I always suspected that Homeland Security didn’t know what they were doing…now they will be more accountable. I still remember them holding my alzheimer’s stricken 83 yr old grandmother in Miami for questioning.
Re: Saudi Arabia, the interesting releases of info regarding ex-gitmo arabs who went through the much vaunted rehab program that KSA provides (praised by the CIA as well) and have pressure from their families, THEN went to Yemen and refoined alqaeda with renewed vigor are important as well.
The public needs to know.
If people choose to read about Tiger Woods and Michael Jackson they can. Perhaps this garbage funds the media’s more serious investigative attempts. Certainly, if we all just got news from the internet we would know nothing for sure…
I agree with the above comment re: cable. It seems you are watching FOX, Carol, with their endless breaking news crawls and terror alerts.
Good friends don’t let their friends watch FOX.
@Arbgrlusa: I agree with both your paras. We have also had our own direct experiences due to mismanagement and when you are racing against a clock for medical treatment and have “blips” it does make one lose a lot of confidence in loops in the system whether it be due to exploitation of authority, oversights or “mistakes” and know you need to travel on a timely basis.
I dislike when critical news is reported live and in progress and why show those who planned attempts at terrorism know real time what’s happening and reaction. Give the public reassurances that there is control on part of whatever country but don’t go overboard and feed too much.
Gotcha Arbgrlusa – I rarely if ever watch FOX. I’m not happy with the overexposure from CNN right now. There is something to be said on Saudi Television style of reporting. They do not release news reports such as weapons caches and other related subjects until many times after the fact to not show any hands too prematurely.
I don’t watch Fox. I watch CNN occasionally but I prefer BBCWorld News or the radio. CNN has been ridiculous of late showing over and over again the picture of the underpants where the bomb was located. Obviously some information needs to come out but some should be kept quiet. Too much information can generate ‘copy cat actions’ by people with unstable minds and not necessarily connected to any of our ‘bad guy groups’. To be truthful I’d rather listen to CBC radio when events happen. There are no visuals and the reports have to talk and give the facts. I stopped being glued to TV when something disastrous happens after 911 when there was hour after hour after hour (and still showing today) of the plane and the towers. Fear media at it’s very best I say.
@AB
There are two separate problems here. One is the problem of the continuous news cycle. There is too much need for headlines and not enough real news.
The other is a desire to manufacture news. You can complain about Fox all you want, but this story wasn’t really an example of what Fox specializes in.
Do I wish we could go back to a day of news that was vetted before being published? Yes, but that isn’t going to happen.
I agree with Wendy and Jerry. The news may not only encourage copycats or those seeking sensationalism (can’t forget balloon boy either…) but we are starting to get in the era of too much at one time that has not been properly vetted.
I don’t think I actively complained about Fox but just stated it is not among those I prefer to watch.
Salaams.
I sometimes think the culture of 24 hour news has led to many things being sensationalized that really should not be (balloon boy?).
As for this attempt, just read the US is going to scrutinize everyone coming from a “terr or related” country.
@Haleem,
Salam Alaikum.
Oh yes…just google “balloon boy” for how that incident was played up.
And you are correct, it’s kind of non-stop breaking news every few minutes now and just rehashing much of same in efforts to keep viewers entertained and worked up.
I tend to disagree on information sharing. While I think the ridiculous media farce about the american girl in the italian court trial was abuse and lies that directly influenced the trial negatively, I still think that most information should be public.
Guaranteed if people knew MORE of everything about situations like that flight bomb there’d be more vigilance and less accidents, and people would LEARN faster than to be complacent. I think EVERY single incident, even relatively minor but still intentional, should result in the person’s photo being plastered on the walls of the airport and on a website, so people will know who’s doing what.
but I’m weird like that.. hehe
Appreciate your sharing of your view, Andrea!