How stupid does the media think we are?

[Ardent15]

Christ, it seems all they ever talk about is shit like the Grammys, American Idol, missing white women...if they do talk about politics or government or the nation as a whole, it's always about psychoanalyzing John Edwards and his wife, kissing the asses of politicians they like, and "analyzing" and tearing apart every fucking word that anyone ever says EVER.

There's no muckraking or true journalism to be found in the mainstream media, though I suspect I'm preaching to the choir on this one.

It just irritates me that the media does all this...AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT!!!

I guess too many Americans are ignorant or complacent to see through the bull$hit that's being spoonfed to them.

[Captain Hilts]

1. The news is depressing. People need a break. nt

[ThomCat]

10. Their job is supposed to be to deliver the news,

not the break from the news. :(

[Bobbieo]

14. The news no longer follows the 5 ws of journalism. The media seems to think 'Opinon' covers news-

It does not!!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

2. It can't be measured meaningfully.

[ThomWV]

6. Is sure can - how much does advertising cost for the Super Bowl - there's a measure for you.

[90-percent]

3. the current

Current MSM is nothing more than a pacifier to placate we the people so that we are all smart enough to run their machines but not smart enough to engage in CRITICAL THINKING.

MSM's current function in our society is to keep us all ignorant and docile hyper consumers.

(With thanks to Frank Zappa and George Carlin)


-90% jimmy

[ThomWV]

4. They think we are exactly as stupid as polling and advertising-revnue tell them we are.

You think they don't poll to see what we like and don't like? You think they don't broadcast the things that advertising pays for in favor of those things they do gratis?

[timeforpeace]

5. Wouldn't know. Haven't watched TV for years (hint, hint).

[Vincardog]

7. Time to turn it off. WAlk away from the TeeVee

[ThomWV]

9. Cspan provides more information every day than every paper and magazine in the country

Cspan covers everything, the press doesn't or at least they cover a lot of important events and news that never sees the light of day otherwise.

How would you make up for that loss?

[Ishoutandscream2]

8. Thank goodness for the internets

If I relied on traditional print media, or the over-the-air kind, I would be totally lost. They have totally dumbed everything down with the excuse of "that's what the public wants." I hate the MSM and what it has done to our nation. We are truly laughing stocks around the world.

[provis99]

11. we, by and large the population is stupid and superficial.

The media simply gives the people what they want: bread and circuses.

[Marr]

12. When I was in my 20's, I lived in Europe for awhile. The best thing

I noticed right off the bat was the news. It was international, in-depth, and as un-biased as news reports can be. Newspapers, same deal.

When I came back to the states, it was like seeing it all for the first time. Our news shows-- even the ones that claim to be serious news-- they look like Fox News or Entertainment Tonight. All of them are incredibly biased in their coverage, with celebrity gossip and bread & circus dripping off the sides. They all push the same myopic view of the world. It's always this incredibly narrow range of topics (the news according to GE, basically). Sometimes you'll see a report where the issues are framed slightly differently-- and I do mean slightly. That passes for dissent here.

[L0oniX]

13. All they have to do is look at the stats for American Idol viewers and

other low mentality tv shows. Yes they know about the stupid.

[Vinnie From Indy]

15. Very!

The fact is that it has almost always been this way in one respect or another. Pulitzer and Hearst both manipulated news to their ends. Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers were constantly outraged at the news coverage of their day.

One thing that always focuses the mind of the populace is pain. I believe we are entering a phase where the mainstream news will have a harder time spinning the BS. The only danger of very bad economic tims is the rise of the scapegoaters in news a la Germany in the early 1930s.

[arthritisR_US]

16. your last line states it all. n/t

[rucky]

17. Research is expensive & a turn-off to their viewers. n/t

[dionysus]

18. actually, in my opinion, most people really ARE stupid.

news\politics junkies on places like this usually aren't. we're vastly outnumbered though.

[Iggo]

19. Like a hundred stupid.

[DainBramaged]

20. How stupid does the media think we are?

Pretty fucking stupid.......

[LatteLibertine]

21. It's frustrating

yet we should stay positive and raise awareness plus encourage folks to examine their lives. Some will never change and some will.

[donheld]

22. Totally

[JoeyT]

23. I'm not sure all of it is malicious.

A lot of it is just being greedy fuckers.
It's cheaper to constantly do puff pieces on random shit and spit out whatever press release they're handed than it is to bother with investigative journalism. And the ad revenue is the same for both.
At this point the vast majority of the MSM are as useless as a second appendix.

[peekaloo]

24. Ann Curry got stuck in an elevator.

Her most insightful piece yet. :dunce: