Sick and tired

[Redhat]

I am fed up with the amateur dramatics of this country's media. I am looking to get some views on this if possible.

I am (increasingly less-so) a regular listener to talkSPORT. Half of the shows are sport, the other half are talk shows (mainly politics). I'm not sure if this issue is confined to this station, but in my mind it extends to the press also.

I often hear lines from the presenters such as:

"I think from the calls that we've had tonight, it's proven that this country is heading for the dogs."

"The country is falling apart, and every one of you should be concerned."

"The calls we've had tonight can't be just a coincidence, this is the real state we are in."

Now I understand this country is far from perfect. I understand that we have improvements to make and I also agree that standards are slipping somewhat. But these media folk are seemingly "sexing up" the entire situation in my mind, and implanting the fear, distress and worry into the listeners'/readers' minds.

Every time it's the same old story. There is NEVER anything new reported and I'm getting sick and tired of the same old same old. I am thinking of turning off the radio for good. And I rarely waste money on newspapers (I don't want to be persuaded to THEIR point of view. I can have my own, thanks!).

Does anyone agree? Can anyone else see this catastrophising of absolutely everything in the media?

[andsome]

We seem to be getting the same happening here as In America. I watched a recording last night about the events in Columbine. With similar gun ownership in Canada to that in the US, there were over 11000 murders by gun last year in the US, and only double figures in Canada. The news in the US was largely doom and gloom and seemed mainly aimed at engendering fear of the black and Hispanic communities. Whereas in Canada the news was much more balanced with good as well as bad stories, and in general Canadians felt far more secure than did Americans. The theory was that this state of fear that the nation was ecouraged to feel, was to cover up the governments intention to more or less rule the world by back door means.

[-pops-]

The majority of the media in the UK is owned by one person - Rupert Murdoch, a sometime Australian now a US citizen.

The news we are permitted to know is under the control of this man and his cohorts - all of whom are under his instruction.

One of the few independent sources of news and information is the BBC but even they are influenced indirectly by Murdoch by him initiating over-reporting of trivia thereby forcing the independent media to follow it up. This can be demonstrated easily by the reporting on the BBC news channels of the goings on in the recent Big Brother programme which was not only of zero importance to anyone at all but was even a programme shown on a completely different and commercial TV channel.

[Thos]

I agree with you, Redhat.

But unlike you I do read newspapers, listen to the radio, watch TV in the hope of hearing as many points of view as possible. I have to confess though that my own views are conditioned by my experience of life, my upbringing in a hard northern environment and a dislike of, for the want of a better word, "class" partizanship.

Thos.

[catgate]

Does anyone agree? Can anyone else see this catastrophising of absolutely everything in the media?

I think you will find that the people who are the most convinced of the desperate state of the whole of civilisation are the boring old fart brigade, of which august body I happen to be part. This is because of the old adage "Them as live t'longest 'll see t' most". Patterns repeat and become recognisable. Politicians are becoming younger and inexperienced, and are driven not only by personal greed but by the surrogate greed of their "backers". Moral standards in public life are exposed for what they are, and because they go uncorrected "the people" follow suit. The result is the corruption of society by its leaders, who follow the principle of "Do as I say...not as I do".

Despite all the smoke screens and subterfuge there is sufficient "bad news" which escapes their massaging to indicate that there is a very great discrepancy between what we are "fed" and what is "real". Additionally it only need commonsense to recognise that the amount of money being taken from the public and squandered on ivory towers can only lead to one end. Think of the squillions of monetary units blasted into space. Think of the squillions of monetary units that have gone to destroy human lives "to create peace". Think of the squillions of monetary units given to dictators as "Bribes".

I've said enough.

[andsome]

Does anyone agree? Can anyone else see this catastrophising of absolutely everything in the media?

I think you will find that the people who are the most convinced of the desperate state of the whole of civilisation are the boring old fart brigade, of which august body I happen to be part. This is because of the old adage "Them as live t'longest 'll see t' most". Patterns repeat and become recognisable. Politicians are becoming younger and inexperienced, and are driven not only by personal greed but by the surrogate greed of their "backers". Moral standards in public life are exposed for what they are, and because they go uncorrected "the people" follow suit. The result is the corruption of society by its leaders, who follow the principle of "Do as I say...not as I do".

Despite all the smoke screens and subterfuge there is sufficient "bad news" which escapes their massaging to indicate that there is a very great discrepancy between what we are "fed" and what is "real". Additionally it only need commonsense to recognise that the amount of money being taken from the public and squandered on ivory towers can only lead to one end. Think of the squillions of monetary units blasted into space. Think of the squillions of monetary units that have gone to destroy human lives "to create peace". Think of the squillions of monetary units given to dictators as "Bribes".

I've said enough.

Well said.