“If it bleeds, it leads.” And when events conspire to be boring, they will just make shit up.
It used to be that News Departments were separate from Entertainment. But in the great race for ratings, they combined. The goal of news reporters is not longer to inform you. It is to keep you watching.
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11 Comments
IK, that is 100% true!
There is no journalism in cable news, in my opinion. It’s all ratings driven, not news driven.
Walter Cronkite, where art thou?
That’s funny. I was thinking about Walter Cronkite while I was writing this. Good to know there are more things that unite us than divide us.
In case anyone is interested, here are a few sources that are NOT ratings driven:
https://www.electoral-vote.com/
https://politicalwire.com/
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/
Profit became supreme after Gordon Gecko uttered his famous line.
The conservatives believed that they had found the holy grail of conservatism: A moral justification for being selfish pricks.
Where do you put apnews.com?
That is my main news source.
Hey EBDOUG, How are you?
As for “news” sites, I use AP and Reuters, which both seem low on the bias scale.
I also use local news sites, but even there they tend to report events that lean one way or the other and just omit that which leans opposite to their thinking. But, between them I can usually find the truth in the middle.
IK- I really like the writing from Dr. Richardson thanks for the link.
As to Rays comments on conservatives being selfish pricks.
I don’t try to label anyone for their political affiliation or ideas. I’m an independent and quite like it that way. Neither party would like me as my conservative side, thinks we do more harm giving away money to people who refuse to do for themselves, but I also think we should de-criminalize drug use and sex work, since that is an individuals choice and not mine. I also am not in favor of abortion, except in cases of rape or fetal unviability or when the mothers life is at risk. THen the decision should be made between Dr., family and patient. I think we need legal regulated immigration, but I’m against illegal entry. I’m for private sector unions, but vehemently against public sector unions. I think “defund the police” is stupid, but I think police reform is very much needed.
Am I a conservative, Yep. I am I a liberal Yep. And proud to to not be constrained by a political ideology. I think, therefore I am.
IK, I’m currently a liberal. That could change, but probably not in what remains of my lifetime. The “Right” seems intent on destroying what made this country great, and as long as that is their goal, I’m in the other corner. I agree with decriminalizing drugs and sex workers, I think abortion should be the woman’s decision, not anyone else’s. I’m against illegal entry but realize that stopping it is probably impossible unless we are willing to put a huge amount of money into protecting the borders. And it would be huge, because if you block entry in one direction they will come from another. I have no idea how many miles of border we have if you count water side borders, Alaska and Hawaii, and any other properties we have in various parts of the world. I’m for unions, regardless of their work place. Defund the police was a poor choice of words, when what should be done is use part of their funding to train people for mediation of certain situations. And I agree with police reform. I’m also for cutting defense budget, a lot, and keep cutting it until someone does an audit of where the money is going. I’m for a $15 minimum wage, health care for all, and an end to gerrymandering and voter suppression laws. I would tax corporations and those making more than a million a year at a very high tax rate. Ah to be queen for a year. A day aint going to do it.
Wildwood, we would get along fine.
We’d have some great discussion on the healthcare for all and minimum wage, “taxing the hell” out of people who are motivated, inspired and bright. And cutting the defense budget, but not the accounting of where it’s spent, that should be public record.
I would also be amenable to finding out how all our tax dollars are spent. Does anybody actually know where the last 4 trillion in Corona spending spree money went? It should also be accounted for…
I agree with both of you. years ago and had to go through the abortion problem. When i first started nursing in California a woman came in for a saline abortion. It takes days and is probably no longer done. The baby turned over and over as I watched. I cried and cried until they relived me of taking care of the woman.
I headed family planning. Mostly I just ran it. the other nurses did the referrals for abortion. I asked them not to tell me. I got to the point that it was none of my business what the woman decided. For me it was not an issue. i didn’t believe in abortion for myself.
Re: the hand outs. I read they went to shell companies set up by Jarad in Delaware. That’s why the bill was passed to allow access to the owners of shell companies.
Pat, this sentence got away from me. “those making more than a million a year at a very high tax rate.” What I meant to say was corporations at much higher after they hit a certain income level. And I might want that mitigated if they are not paying obscene amounts to their top employees. If you find it hard to live on ten million a year, then maybe you need to rethink your lifestyle. Go back to the days when execs got paid, I think it was no more than 50 times their lowest paid employee. That gives them incentive to make sure all their employees get a decent salary since theirs is dependent on the salaried employees. Individuals pay higher, incrementally, after they hit one million a year. It would be a very small increase on the first two million and then start getting a little bigger. My typing any my thinking don’t always come out the same.
I would like to see where all that money goes as well, but the military has been getting increases for decades with no accounting for where the money has gone. They need to have an audit. I think all major companies do audits and the military, as far as I know, does not. My husband was an engineering manager at a major aeronautics division of company that he started with back in the 70’s working on the space shots. He then transferred and was working more with the military on a missile system. He said there were constant changes being made to their projects, more bells, more whistles and a lot more money. The military budget, on items like this, was based on what they spent every year, regardless of whether the money was spent wisely. And of course at the end of the year they would ask for more and usually get it. It was ever larger, with not much in the way of accountability.
If we ever get a really good bunch in congress, (yes I know, never going to happen), maybe they can pass a bill that makes each item a stand alone and no pork attached. I can dream.
Ebdoug, I don’t think I would ever have had an abortion unless it was likely that the fetus was defective or dying, or possibly the result of rape. But it should be my choice, not anyone else’s.
You have a big heart and that must have been a difficult job for you.
I would add Politico to the list of good sources. I used to not like them at all, but they have turned into one of the best sources of political news. If you don’t believe me, read this article “The GOP-Big Business Divorce Goes Deeper Than You Think” — https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/04/15/republican-party-big-business-georgia-voting-rights-conservative-481978