The recent tragedy that has befallen on Ft. Hood soldiers and America is unfortunate and shocking. But it does provide a unique opportunity for Americans to think critically of media "news reporting". Are news reports supposed to be informative, or instead be spoon-feeding readers digested and regurgitated vomit? We rely on reporting as the primary means of informing ourselves, yet we read blindly. Please think for yourself, and don't allow others to think for you. Compare reports on this event from major national and local news bureaus and note the bias and subtleties within.
Here's is a sample I pulled, and as Levar Burton would say “but you don’t have to take my word for it…” [-ta dan tun-] The objective reports will be obvious, compared to the articles laden with obvious political, religious, and social distortions. Keep in mind the primary goal for news reporting (should be) is to inform, not to convince. BTW, this only takes a few minutes, yet drives home an important principle: the need for objective reporting. TIP: depending on your browser, you may be able to right click each link and select "open in new tab". This will make panning between articles for comparison much easier.
Sample reports:
1. http://www.examiner.com/x-21184-Homeland-Security-Examiner~y2009m11d6-Army-Islamic-radical-kills-13-and-wounds-30
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/06/nidal-malik-hasan-fort-hood-shooting1
3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601978.html
4. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125755853525335343.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories#articleTabs%3Darticle%26mg%3Dcom-wsj
5. http://www.star-telegram.com/texas/story/1743689.html6. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8347501.stm
3 comments:
You're so right about the blind acceptance of media spoon fed bias. Below is yet another thread/ different perspective that doesn't fit with the already official "muslim extremist" pov being pushed:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/strip-club-visits-contradict-contrived-stereotype-of-fort-hood-shooter.html
It's interesting to note how ignorant people are. Here's the ignorant logic: A person that is a devout Muslim is expected to be an extremist and be predisposed to terrorism (?) In turn, assert that because this person wasn't a devout Muslim, this wasn't a terrorist event.
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