No News Is Good News

[saltedplug]

brian, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and you are correct that even the neanderthal pols propounded the same evil sh*t. Yet in the last 4 years it has become so much more the common practice and the order of the day.

The great waves of immigration occurred because in America you could get a job and keep your family from starving. But this transformed into the dream of wealth and a materialistic culture, supportable until the corporations shipped 80% of the jobs overseas and while we had the natural resources for industry. The American dream of prosperity by wealth is dead but unmourned because we skipped the funeral, and in its wake there is despair, addiction and a dream of a better job at Wal Mart.

After giving each of us money from the Stimulus Recovery program, our great leader sent me a letter full of praise for himself and another paragraph about how America is great and we will go on to be greater still. What a dreadful man! No, we won't become greater unless we do the things that will grow a more healthy citizenry. Might I suggest education, health insurance and rebuilding industry?

Oh no! We've been in the Gulf for 30 years. Why stop now? Gotta represent America's interests! Can you imagine the quadrillions of the cost? How are we paying for this? Gotta make sure the wealthy get wealthier. What a dreadful agenda!

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

brian, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and you are correct that even the neanderthal pols propounded the same evil sh*t. Yet in the last 4 years it has become so much more the common practice and the order of the day.

The great waves of immigration occurred because in America you could get a job and keep your family from starving. But this transformed into the dream of wealth and a materialistic culture, supportable until the corporations shipped 80% of the jobs overseas and while we had the natural resources for industry. The American dream of prosperity by wealth is dead but unmourned because we skipped the funeral, and in its wake there is despair, addiction and a dream of a better job at Wal Mart.

After giving each of us money from the Stimulus Recovery program, our great leader sent me a letter full of praise for himself and another paragraph about how America is great and we will go on to be greater still. What a dreadful man! No, we won't become greater unless we do the things that will grow a more healthy citizenry. Might I suggest education, health insurance and rebuilding industry?

Oh no! We've been in the Gulf for 30 years. Why stop now? Gotta represent America's interests! Can you imagine the quadrillions of the cost? How are we paying for this? Gotta make sure the wealthy get wealthier. What a dreadful agenda!

I thought we were discussing NOT letting media rule our lives here. Now we are delving into politics. I for one would be happy to share with you my obtuse/Neanderthal leanings...but this is not the place mate. No politics if ya please!️?

 

[americaman]

Yes sir. Much of the news is useless garbage. I haven’t had cable in years, and life is good.

 

[mso489]

One remedy to improve the news disseminated online might be an accreditation service or services that would meet certain standards of verifiable reporting, authoritative editing, actual serious proofreading, and regular corrections when material turns out to be false or otherwise misleading. Feedback would be controlled like letters to the editor, representative but not most of what came in. Otherwise, everything online comes out of the same dumpster, mostly trash, some poison, and a little good material, but very little. We'd still have to consume in measured doses, but we would have some confidence in the process ... trust but verify as always. Same could serve local news outlets which are so desperately depleted. The messenger will always be attacked by those who don't like the facts, but at least there would be facts to discuss.

 

[B.Fee]

LOL, I clicked on a link No News is Good News and got News.??

 

[olkofri]

One remedy to improve the news disseminated online might be an accreditation service or services that would meet certain standards of verifiable reporting, authoritative editing, actual serious proofreading, and regular corrections when material turns out to be false or otherwise misleading. Feedback would be controlled like letters to the editor, representative but not most of what came in. Otherwise, everything online comes out of the same dumpster, mostly trash, some poison, and a little good material, but very little. We'd still have to consume in measured doses, but we would have some confidence in the process ... trust but verify as always. Same could serve local news outlets which are so desperately depleted. The messenger will always be attacked by those who don't like the facts, but at least there would be facts to discuss.

That doesn't work. It's already been tried, and the system is quickly co-opted and corrupted by power players who buy the services or otherwise influence them to make them report their own narrative as 'facts'; when the certification system is not even designed by those power players in the first place.

Exhibit 1: NewsGuard on your browser: highly biased towards one end of the political spectrum.

Exhibit 2 (most egregious and infuriating): Canadian gov't to require media outlets to be 'licenced'.

Such services would only work if they were run by the Angels of God who have no malice, and even they would be accused of 'bias' by some.

 

[Bowie]

an accreditation service or services that would meet certain standards of verifiable reporting, authoritative editing, actual serious proofreading, and regular corrections when material turns out to be false or otherwise misleading.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

 

[Akousticplyr]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

 

[olkofri]

View attachment 32678

But... that bloke is bound to be biased in favour of Big Tobacco!!

 

[Akousticplyr]

One remedy to improve the news disseminated online might be an accreditation service or services that would meet certain standards of verifiable reporting, authoritative editing, actual serious proofreading, and regular corrections when material turns out to be false or otherwise misleading. Feedback would be controlled like letters to the editor, representative but not most of what came in. Otherwise, everything online comes out of the same dumpster, mostly trash, some poison, and a little good material, but very little. We'd still have to consume in measured doses, but we would have some confidence in the process ... trust but verify as always. Same could serve local news outlets which are so desperately depleted. The messenger will always be attacked by those who don't like the facts, but at least there would be facts to discuss.

“Damn you and your logical, thoughtful, well-reasoned suggestion, sir!”

I agree that the standards of verifiable reporting have fallen.
It’s sad and frustrating.

Hence the OP’s smart suggestion of avoiding-in my mind, anyway- a large chunk of the commercially driven, rage click-bait news sources. I mean, at least the weather forecast is still mostly unspoiled?

“20 percent chance of showers tomorrow, caused by global warming!” Aw crap, spoke too soon.