Menu
Specials
| News Media B.S. Detectors |
Nobody in the news media gets it right 100% of the time. Some get it right most of the time, and many seem to get it wrong on purpose. If you don't take anyone's word for gospel, "follow the money," and apply a little elbow grease, you'll be closer to the truth than if you listen to all those talkers on the TV and radio. Your granny wants you to fine-tune your sniffer so you can smell news media B.S. a mile away!
Granny's Watch List
Truth? Lies? Bias? Spin? Here's some entertaining folks to keep an eye on every day: Experts and Front Groups Come sit down over here by Granny and have a glass of milk and a cookie. Granny is going to tell you "The Tale of the TV Expert."
Once upon a time, Mr. Famous Talker was hosting Dr. Annie Spicegood from "Americans for Apple Pie" on his TV news show. Well, folks all across the land sat right up to listen because they were all practically weaned on apple pie! They figured "Americans for Apple Pie" must surely have millions of patriotic apple pie loving members supporting Dr. Annie Spicegood in what she was about to say. Wouldn't you think so, honey? Wipe your chin.
Well, Old Fairy Granny was a wise old fairy who wasn't born yesterday, and she decided to check into this "Americans for Apple Pie" outfit. Sure enough, Old Fairy Granny looks on sourcewatch.org and it turns out that "Americans for Apple Pie" is nothing but a front group for multinational apple producers! And Dr. Annie Spicegood is an apple heiress who sits on the board, and her family has contributed millions to "Americans for Apple Pie!"
Old Fairy Granny shouted the alarm, and all the townspeople showed up and pitched a fit on the sidewalk outside the fortified security wall of the Spicegood mansion. They demanded that folks fully disclose who they are when they appear on TV news shows, and stop posing as impartial experts with only the townspeople's best interests at heart. From that day forward, all the people in the land were very skeptical of TV talkers and "experts," and they all lived happily ever after.
How bout that, Honey? Wouldn't you be mad if you were tricked into trusting folks who are only out to feather their own nests? You just watch out for deceptively named front groups and "experts," and don't take nobody's word for gospel until you know just exactly who's footing their bill. Here are some places where you can check out these "experts" and front groups for yourself:
Measuring News Media B.S. Just how much B.S. is in the news media? Let's just say you best bring yourself a shovel. Here are some folks who'll tell you if these news outfits are keeping you well-informed: Mainstream America It tickles Granny when TV talkers jaw on about "mainstream America". People who sport $500 sunglasses and traipse around with an entourage shouldn't pretend to identify with regular folks. Let's be clear: TV and radio talkers only need you for "ratings" so they can buy bigger mansions and employ more security guards to keep you out of their sight. Whatever they imagine they know about you is based on their observations from behind the tinted windows of their limousines. You might as well listen to a catfish tell you what it's like to live in a tree as listen to a TV talker tell you what's happening in mainstream America. While the TV and radio talkers like to assume they know what you are thinking, there are actual people called "public opinion experts" who know EXACTLY what you are thinking. How on earth do they manage that? Well, they call you up on the telephone and ask you. They ask thousands of people what they think, then they check back a week, a month, or maybe even a year later to see if folks are still of the same mind.
To fairly and accurately report on "mainstream America" you need to spend time listening to lots of regular folks right where they are. Fact is, TV and radio talkers seldom venture that far out from high value real estate. If they happened to visit you in your natural habitat, they'd throw you popcorn and try to poke you with a stick. When the subject is "mainstream America," I'd take the word of a public opinion expert any day over a TV or radio talker. Let Granny introduce you to a couple:
The TV and Radio Talker Stampede Nothing makes Granny's hair stand on end like a TV and radio talker stampede. These talkers get to running in one direction and spook the rest of us into running right along side of them. Anyone who tries to run counter to the herd gets trampled on and drowned out. Stampedes are nearly impossible to stop, and they put us all in danger of running off the cliff together.
TV and radio talkers enjoy stampedes because they're bullies and they like to feel powerful. I ‘spect it's pretty satisfying to admire all that stampede devastation once the dust clears. Don't ever cross one of these bullies, either. They'll treat you with nothing short of utter contempt. They'll try to intimidate you, dismiss you like a pesky gnat, or call you names. It's very telling, because name-calling is the favorite weapon of the weak. The most vicious name-callers are yellow to the core, you better believe it.
Just keep in mind that starting stampedes is great for the TV and radio talkers' "ratings." The truth is only incidental to them--it's fine as long as it doesn't interfere with their botox injections, shopping for yachts, and planning exotic travel. Don't be too quick to bolt if the TV and radio talkers get wild-eyed and start snorting and throwing their heads. Show some sense and look around for yourself a little bit. You might be surprised how often the threat is either overblown or a creature of pure imagination.
|