laekin ([info]laekin) wrote,
@ 2005-09-02 09:40:00
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Step Away from the American Media


Okay, take a breath...and take a step away from the American Media.

Those of you who know me know that I am a newspaper brat in that my father is an editor for one of the major national papers -yeah I know what the HELL happened to me with my spelling, I am the bane of his existance- and has been all my life so I grew up in the 'back office' if you will of the ins and outs of the American Media machine.

That said I again suggest, take a break from the American Media. If you want to keep up to date on the facts of the situation in New Orleans but need a break from the OMGSENSATIONALISM try the BBC or a Canadian news source. I went out last night and read the BBC website updates and was impressed with the compassion showed but also the even handed fact relation so that's why I suggest BBC at the moment.

The American media is going to generate as much sensationalism and drive the political warfare breaking out over this situation through the ceiling and it's very hard to sift out the facts through the spin doctoring. The American Media wants to play on your heartstrings, they want to sell stories, they want to get the scoup and they will put new and shakey as hell spins on known facts in an effort to sell information you've already heard in new horrifying package.

So if you can't bring yourself to step away from the news completely, try a news source that doesn't have an agenda, either financial or political at this point.

Just a suggestion.

That said, I'm now going to the Humane Society website to donate.

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[info]datenshiblue
2005-09-02 05:26 pm UTC (link)
Not everyone has this option but local Houston media has also been very interesting, in comparison with the national media. Last night they broke into Nightline when the Astrodome suddenly stopped accepting refugees and all these buses were not being allowed to enter. They had people down there and the commentary was scathing, they showed any number of personal stories of people who were on some of the buses, and almost instantly, Houstonians got out of their beds and came to the Dome with clothes, food, water, offers of a bed...

I suspect a lot of phone calls were also made and this is why after being told at first that the fire marshall stopped buses from coming in, Mayor Bill White overrode that and the buses began coming in again. The nearby Reliant Center was opened up as well.

The local media (we were watching KTRK) didn't get off the air until the buses were coming in, until a rep from the Mayor's office got down there to the Dome, until things were starting to get solved.

It's kind of cool to see your stuffy local news anchors commenting acidly on the issues on all our minds like, why did the city government announce we could take 25,000 in the Dome and then stop buses full of exhausted, suffering human beings from getting off when only a guesstimated 6 or 7 thousand were inside, and try to tell the new arrivals they had to make another 12 hour trip to Dallas!!

Kudos to local news guys for pointing the spotlight on a local problem with far reaching consequences for those who had been through too much to bear, for arousing the local viewers who jumped up out of their beds and homes and scrambled to help, and for getting the damn mayor off his ass.

Minus hundreds of points for Aramark, the company that owns the concession contract for the Dome complex, for not permitting food brought by local restaurants, churches, indivuduals to be brought into the Dome, when volunteers inside said they had run out of food. Fuck your damn exclusive contracts, people wanted to help, were prepared to help. Let them help.

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[info]spinshadow
2005-09-02 05:36 pm UTC (link)
That is so cool. I'm impressed. Not impressed by Aramark and I hope they get a good reaming for that one. :p

As for me, the Iowa press machine burned me out on American media for a good long time ... which is why I keep the BBC world headlines feed on my LJ f-list. As much as I'm home and obsessively checking the thing, the cycling of said list isn't too bad and it keeps me on top of the facts. Without having to wade through spin and agenda, which is always nice.

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[info]lavenderfrost
2005-09-02 06:39 pm UTC (link)
I doubt *every* American media agency will be trying to milk this for all its' worth. Many, certainly, but some may distort things because this hit so close to home and they *feel* that this situation fits the sensationalist descriptions.

Everything's worse when it happens to your neighbors. The BBC has the benefit of distance, which the American media lacks. Which is, of course, another reason to look to them for the facts.

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[info]lisandrayajuujo
2005-09-02 07:47 pm UTC (link)
And this is why I haven't trusted American media since third grade (and, at that point in time, the Gulf War). I've been finding definite slants not just with what American media DOES report, but there's a very large lack of worldwide news that they DON'T report. Which, I think, is one of the reasons the average American student knows next to nothing about world history, politics, issues, etc. It's like, if it isn't in America, it isn't important. Of course, the average American student probably doesn't know what's happening in his or her own country, either. Ask them about senators and congressmen, and they draw blanks. Now, that's also a problem with the school system, but I won't get into THAT today. :p

I find it completely wonderful that, in every community I'm in, there's a drive for money, food, supplies, and all sorts of things to help those in need in the South. Even my D&D group is taking a money collection for the Red Cross.

Now if only our elected government officials, the media, and those they're in charge of would be on the same page as the rest of us, eh?

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[info]jupiterjones
2005-09-03 12:43 am UTC (link)
Okay, there's a reason they call the anchor's TWINKIES!! ^_~

I'm a news hog too, and I learned my lesson with the coverage of the Iraq and Gulf wars.

First of all, you DO need a break form it all.

Secondly, the media does embellish stuff. They get paid to tell a good story.. a dramatic story. In other words, the obfiscate ...LIE..

Sometimes, like last night... They get it just right, mess with the right folks and get great results.

Huggles to you and yours,


Von

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[info]mirichan
2005-09-03 02:42 am UTC (link)
Which is why I check MY media to know what's going on (aka anything French or English as long as it's Canadian) before I check CNN, for instance.

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[info]katsue_fox
2005-09-03 03:33 am UTC (link)
Beyond what I've seen on nola.com (New Orleans website), I don't think I've encountered *any* American media coverage - I hang out a lot on the BBC website because I've always found the BBC to be the UK's best channel for news, be it local or international.

*Has donated to the American Red Cross*

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(Anonymous)
2005-09-06 12:21 pm UTC (link)
Well sorry if i am a bit rude, but american media isn't really as objective or reliable. I am lebanese and i was watching CNN and other channels, and i was shocked to see that a great part of the media covering was treating the impact of katrina on the oil markets etc... .
Really i do know that oil is important for you Americans but really shouldn't you focus more on not just reporting the devastation and economical impact etc... but on the human suffering...

PS: Hadn't you promised us a sequel to Degrees of Separation? ( i want my muraki X watari dose)

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