Before technology mapped the seas and provided sonar and equipment to spot dangers and map routes, mariners relied on human skills to spot land and avoid dangerous waters. Humans put their lives in danger to protect other humans.
That brings me to reporters, still needed on the beat, still the first contact people have with someone who will tell the story as he hears it, and someone who is not the spokesperson for a certain point of view.
Now, if the paper or television station the reporter works for is controlled and managed and only certain ideologies are embraced, then the work and the product that will be printed/reported will suffer, will be diminished of its freedom and unbiased content.
Let's ask ourselves when we hear, see or read a piece of news: how is the content interpreted? How are the voices we hear selected? How are we being manipulated?
Just a simple question to ponder over.
Dangerous waters and dangerous rocks are still there. Who is warning us?
23 comments:
Great post ... why I don't embrace more than a few newspapers and TV networks!!
Beautifully stated! We don't have Cronkite, Huntley or Brinkley any more. And, now there are the proposed cuts for PBS.
Unfortunately the 24 hour news media has to have something to say that keeps viewers tuning in. As a result the news has become sensationalized, often at the expense of honest reporting. However, it is important to listen carefully to what is being said and to discern emotionally charged rhetoric that is meant to blindside rational thought."In the beginning was the 'word'" should give us all pause for thought ...
So much truth in this post!
We as the viewer or reader have a responsiblity to know who owns the paper or network, and what their point of view is. We can not be passive viewers. I don't think we ever could,
Rosaria, the internet and other media are now wide-open spaces, and much of the news reporting is now done by bloggers ... such as you :-) A couple of years ago we had a case of a young man who was tasered to death by the RCMP here in the Vancouver airport. The RCMP tried to cover it up, but a private citizen caputed the whole thing on his cell phone and gave the video to the news media. The result was a major overhaul of the RCMP and the use of tasers.
Newspapers are going out of business. We are now the media. We probably live in a more free, less-controlled age than we ever have in the past. We have learned to connect with each other and communicate with each other on an honest level, even in countries where there are no "freedoms", and we do it instantly.
I meant "captured"... Typo :-)
one more question - is it real, is what is being reported the real story or one invented. In a time of instant media, it happens all too often that a story has been concocted or the full facts have yet to be revealed. . .
Somtimes I tire of news Rosaria....but never of that view of your coastline!!!!
Absolutely! We must always always always "consider the source"! Thank you.
When looking at the news beware of group close-ups, they, very often, are being staged to add realism to the reports. More significant are the views taken from higher up, from rooftops for instance.
Some blogs are no more reliable than newscasts. When CBC, BBC, CNN, Ha'Aretz and Al Jazeera report on the same subject and their reports are similar...you are close to the truth.
Hmmmm...sounds alot like "don't believe everything you hear and only half of what you see"..I'm still thankful for a country that allows freedom of speech and allows us the freedom to disagree with said speech!
mmm...beware the sharks as well that circle at the first drop of blood...
Very true :-)
A very rugged spot........ but very beautiful.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
we can not take freedom of the press for granted. thoughtful post.
Thank goodness there are others out there who believe that the news is manipulated by the big end of town - and they are not mindful of the dangers - to freedom and a sustainable planet.
I no longer read/listen to the major network news stations. I pick and choose carefully. You just don't know these days what's "true" and what isn't. It's amazing how the language is manipulated.
As always, a thoughtful and thought-provoking post.
I, the reporter, tell you my story. I tell you what I have seen, and heard.
But beyond me, there are many others who would re-interpret my story to meet their particular ends. Over them, I have no control. Sometimes they change little; sometimes they change much.
To understand, you must go yourself to the places where I have pointed. Only then can you see, and hear, and know my story for yourself.
The only solution I now of is to read as many different sources as possible. Let no man draw a conclusion for me.
I read papers from London to Beijing, LA to Maine. and even then I still have to suss it all out for myself.
A well read population is the greatest insurance for a democracy! You can quote me!
Thanks for your visits and comments. As Jo said, we have become the reporters.
I do feel as though I have a personal responsibility to present a truthful, though personal interpretation of facts and events as they are unfolding in my neck of the woods.
As Ms Sadie says, each person/reporter gives his his slant, and through many slants we get a fuller picture.
Thanks for your visits and comments. As Jo said, we have become the reporters.
I do feel as though I have a personal responsibility to present a truthful, though personal interpretation of facts and events as they are unfolding in my neck of the woods.
As Ms Sadie says, each person/reporter gives his his slant, and through many slants we get a fuller picture.
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