Post by dannusmaximus on Feb 2, 2017 4:34:04 GMT
Because, dammit, it must be discussed!
My question to any news source, be they 'mainstream' or not is: Why SHOULD I trust that you are telling me the facts? Why should I believe the numbers and data you are presenting over another source which is telling me the opposite (i.e., proposing alternative facts)?
I work in a smallish city (approx 120,000 warm bodies), where there are 4 main TV news outlets and one print newspaper, as well as several online media outlets. I have been at emergency scenes before where I am the ranking officer, and end up being the de facto source for public information when it comes to talking with reporters. Keep in mind these emergency scenes may be happening within a few blocks of one of the news organizations main building, and may be happening right out in the open for pretty much anybody to see. It is not AT ALL uncommon for me to talk with a reporter, give them all the facts I have, explain any technical terms or particulars that they might not be familiar with, give them my contact information in case they have any follow up questions, then tune into the evening news scant hours later to find that NEARLY EVERY SINGLE THING THEY REPORT IS ALMOST 100% INACCURATE. It is SHOCKING how often they get it wrong, and we are a MAJOR regional media outlet, the largest city within a 150 mile radius.
Now, if a media outlet can't get the facts right in the above case, how the hell am I supposed to trust reporting on events happening across the country or around the world?
That's just ONE reason I take what I see and read with a massive grain of salt. I won't even get into the way statistics can be blatantly manipulated, the fact that all the major media outlets are owned by a mere handful of companies, the fact that the think tanks and research bodies presented as subject matter experts are shadily funded by thinly veiled interest groups, etc. Impartiality is a goddamn joke, and everybody knows it.
I honestly can't think of a single news source that I would consider a gold standard of factual reporting at this point, which is a pretty sad fucking state of affairs.
My question to any news source, be they 'mainstream' or not is: Why SHOULD I trust that you are telling me the facts? Why should I believe the numbers and data you are presenting over another source which is telling me the opposite (i.e., proposing alternative facts)?
I work in a smallish city (approx 120,000 warm bodies), where there are 4 main TV news outlets and one print newspaper, as well as several online media outlets. I have been at emergency scenes before where I am the ranking officer, and end up being the de facto source for public information when it comes to talking with reporters. Keep in mind these emergency scenes may be happening within a few blocks of one of the news organizations main building, and may be happening right out in the open for pretty much anybody to see. It is not AT ALL uncommon for me to talk with a reporter, give them all the facts I have, explain any technical terms or particulars that they might not be familiar with, give them my contact information in case they have any follow up questions, then tune into the evening news scant hours later to find that NEARLY EVERY SINGLE THING THEY REPORT IS ALMOST 100% INACCURATE. It is SHOCKING how often they get it wrong, and we are a MAJOR regional media outlet, the largest city within a 150 mile radius.
Now, if a media outlet can't get the facts right in the above case, how the hell am I supposed to trust reporting on events happening across the country or around the world?
That's just ONE reason I take what I see and read with a massive grain of salt. I won't even get into the way statistics can be blatantly manipulated, the fact that all the major media outlets are owned by a mere handful of companies, the fact that the think tanks and research bodies presented as subject matter experts are shadily funded by thinly veiled interest groups, etc. Impartiality is a goddamn joke, and everybody knows it.
I honestly can't think of a single news source that I would consider a gold standard of factual reporting at this point, which is a pretty sad fucking state of affairs.
