Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [POLITICS] what next?

[Vern Green <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

>
> You are probably thinking of un-researched opinion like this piece:
>
> http://www.superseventies.com/worstgen.html
>
Yeah, that would be the kind of opinion I am referring too. Normally
this un-researched type of opinion is good enough for your arguments
so I just took a page from your playbook.

It just so happens to be an opinion I share, so go figure.
>
> >> Self-absorption causes people to fail to research their news sources
> >
> > What exactly is self-absorption? Isn't it a description of a person who
> > is absorbed in their own interests and thoughts? It would be easy,
> > although perhaps a little dangerous, to say that a self-absorbed person
> > would be more inclined to seek out news that supports their claim over
> > many others.
> >
> > I am not saying that other demographic groups do not have the propensity
> > towards self-absorption, but there has been a lot of information
> > published about the phenomena in the baby-boomer generation.
>
> Feel free to present data on measures of self-absorption and surveys of
> the general population.  Are these cross-sectional or longitudinal
> studies?
>
Forget it, I don't have those numbers, though I am sure somewhere
someone has tried to quantify that type of information. You never
supply any data to support your crazy outlandish claims, in fact my
record on supporting my arguments is much better than yours anyway, so
this time I am not going to bother with it.
>
> >> People in the 50-60 year-old range watch more network news than do
> >> other age groups
> >
> > I will have to dig up the data on this,
>
> While you're at it, dig up the data on everything else too.

No, just on this demographic data, that is if I can get at it without
actually paying for it. This is data that is out there and is measured
in such a way that businesses can make educated decisions from it.
>
>
> > I heard the ratings being read on NPR once, I think it was NPR, but I
> > cannot find the data now. The only data I can find right now is the
> > 25-54 ratings for cable news. Nothing on the networks, but I will find
> > it at some point.
>
> I would like to know if the news is slanted in different ways for
> different groups.  That would be interesting to know.  I am sure that the
> content is different for different age groups.  More on Medicare for older
> viewers, more on Iraq for younger viewers, etc.

Well it is hard to make a point with someone who is so closeminded to
even consider the possibility that there is even any sort of bias in
the news media. It is an impossible task since even in the face of
evidence to the contrary you don't see it. Yeah, we can always bring
up the Dan Rather incident, but you would never agree about that
incident anyway, or if you did you would just shrug it off as an
anomoly so I am again not going to bother.


>
> I watch that show every day.  You don't.  That's one difference between
> us.  Cronkite would like to see less fake pseudonews about Hollywood
> celebrities and homicides and more genuine in-depth coverage of the news
> of the day.  Me too, but I can understand why we aren't getting that kind
> of news.  I get mine on Lehrer News Hour and I don't have time to watch
> many hours of news per day.  I also get some funny news from Daily Show.
>
You're right, I would like to though. I have watched the show from
time to time and I am not going to say anything bad about Jim Lehrer.
Its just between holding down a full time job, working on two large
contracts for applications through my own company, playing in a band,
raising two children and studying for my Masters I really don't have
time to spend towards it right now.

Oh and there are more than one difference between us as we would both
gladly agree.
>
> > You have never heard the network news talk about sustaining or trying to
> > get back their ratings? What do you think it is all about if you have?
> > If you haven't heard of such a thing, then again, perhaps you need to
> > expand you information intake. The link I posted above talks about it.
> > So much of today is about ratings and business in journalism.
>
> You are the first one to tell me that anyone believes it is about
> distorting the facts for the viewer so that the news will be more
> appealing.  I haven't heard that before.  I have heard that they want to
> replace old news anchors with better looking younger ones.  I think they
> want to change the issues they cover -- like adding more lame human
> interest stories.  I haven't heard anyone, except for you, say that they
> might want to present appealing views about the war in Iraq, for example.
>
Yeah, you're right to a point. I think there is clearly a bias, but I
am not even sure that the reason for the bias is money. You think
there is a bias at Fox News, well Fox News has the best ratings of any
cable news network going. So much so that there are some people I have
read that are stating that CNN and MSNBC are actually trying to
emulate Fox News now to try and get some of the market share back.

You can hate Fox News if you want, but there is clearly something
there that is drawing people to that network, something that is making
those very same people leave the ABC, CBS and NBC news networks. What
is it? Could it be *gasp* fair and balanced reporting for a change?
Perhaps the viewers are just those that you seem to despise so much?

Of course, what happens when you are on the top? People start gunning
for you, if you can't beat them honestly, you beat them through
negativity, isn't that the standard practice these days. Those books
and movies you referred to, like Outfoxed? Are they truly an unbiased
report on the happenings at Fox, or are they just more propaganda like
that spewed by Michael Moore? Just something to entertain those people
who believe the way he does. Certainly no one else seems to take
Michael Moore seriously. Most people view him in the same light they
would view O'Reilly, Al Franken, or Rush Limbaugh.

I guess I have to go get the movie so I can at least argue with you
from an enlightened point of view about it. Whatever, now that they
are on video I might consider renting it, or better yet I can probably
get it from the $1 bin at Wal Mart.


--
Thanks
F Vernon Green

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