Fake news, media manipulation etc

[AZOffaly]

In my view now, too much news is not reporting, it is opinionating. And when you have opinions, you have subjectivity. Where you have subjectivity, you have scope for bias, intentional or otherwise.

Whatever happened to factual reporting?

[seafoid]

The search for impartiality in the news is a fruitless one. Not because it doesn't exist, but because there are so many topics in the world right now that are impossible to report or discuss without being accused of polarizing the conversation.

BBC has been battered by both Israel and Palestine with accusations of bias in reporting Palestinian aggression and agenda, and Israeli response and agenda  as an example. Surely if both "sides" in a news situation are accusing a broadcaster of bias, that actually speaks to a lack of bias?

In addition, if a news source is let's say biased against creationism Vs evolution - well given the weight of evidence for evolution Vs the evidence of creation - can that news source be accused of bias? I don't believe so.  Insert Global warming, vaccinations, Santa Claus etc in here.

I don't believe that the majority of main stream news is corrupt. Just because the 9 year olds who are being naughty want to make us believe that they didn't smash the vase doesn't mean that the facts arent stating otherwise.

Israel/Palestine has always been polarised, Puckoon, because Israel is a groupthink story.
Climate change is manipulated by people like the Kochs

the new news polarisation is a very different thing.

[seafoid]

In my view now, too much news is not reporting, it is opinionating. And when you have opinions, you have subjectivity. Where you have subjectivity, you have scope for bias, intentional or otherwise.

Whatever happened to factual reporting?

Can you throw up a few examples?

[AZOffaly]

Examples of Opinion, or examples of factual reporting?

[omochain]

In my view now, too much news is not reporting, it is opinionating. And when you have opinions, you have subjectivity. Where you have subjectivity, you have scope for bias, intentional or otherwise.

Whatever happened to factual reporting?

Answer :
Google, Facebook, Twitter disintermediated The Press without giving anything back?

[AZOffaly]

I don't understand that post omochain. Are you saying if I google an incident for news, I will get unopinionated, factual reporting?

If so, then yes, I apologise for being over generalistic, but it's true that newspapers, especially, have become the modern day soap box, and all the opinions are presented in just the same way as the 'news'.

If you know what way each news organ leans, Fox, CNN, Independent N&M, the Guardian, Times etc, then you can apply your own filter. But look at tabloid newspapers, especially, and tell me they are reporting 'news'.

[seafoid]

Examples of Opinion, or examples of factual reporting?

An example or 2 of what should be factual reporting but is opinion.
Is RTE news for example opinion ?

[AZOffaly]

Examples of Opinion, or examples of factual reporting?

An example or 2 of what should be factual reporting but is opinion.
Is RTE news for example opinion ?

A lot of times yes. RTE bring on people who suit their agenda. Witness the way they stitch up certain guests or politicians on 'news' or current affairs programs. If you don't tally with what RTE believe is right, you get the hostile interviews.

Look at the newspapers. Filled with opinion pieces dressed up as if they were news.

[seafoid]

Examples of Opinion, or examples of factual reporting?

An example or 2 of what should be factual reporting but is opinion.
Is RTE news for example opinion ?

A lot of times yes. RTE bring on people who suit their agenda. Witness the way they stitch up certain guests or politicians on 'news' or current affairs programs. If you don't tally with what RTE believe is right, you get the hostile interviews.

Look at the newspapers. Filled with opinion pieces dressed up as if they were news.

Most newspapers are divided into news, opinion, lifestyle and sport
Opinion takes a view on the news. But it's not the same.

Left and right wing voters' brains work differently. So  opinion pieces will be different between the Telegraph and the Guardian.
But the news won't.

[imtommygunn]

Pretty much all news is skewed seafoid. It may not be out and out opinion but will usually it will contain more facts from whatever argument it leans toward.

[AZOffaly]

That's true. Maybe it's just me, and I'm so annoyed by opinion pieces that I couldn't be arsed looking for 'news'. I'm very skeptical of any link that involves someone, anyone, going off on a rant on what they think. And there seems to be just so much of that, particularly in the print media, but also on the news channels now. It's just hard work having your bullshit meter up all the time. And things like Facebook are worse. PEople see something written down, and they believe it. It drives me mad.

Also, even as news is being reported, depending on the bias of the news organ, the language will be different. Watch the way tabloids will use words like scum, 'terrorist', 'tax dodging' whatever to describe people. So even if they are reporting a news item, they slant their language in such a way as to try and influence how the reader receives the news.

[imtommygunn]

Precisely az. The whole thing really has got quite bad.

The media made brexit happen, they pretty much put trump in and the list will go on for a long time with the crap that gets pushed these days.

[seafoid]

Pretty much all news is skewed seafoid. It may not be out and out opinion but will usually it will contain more facts from whatever argument it leans toward.

There are many things that don't make it into the narrative. Everything is framed. But that doesn't mean it's fake. Or worthless.

[Declan]

Also, even as news is being reported, depending on the bias of the news organ, the language will be different. Watch the way tabloids will use words like scum, 'terrorist', 'tax dodging' whatever to describe people. So even if they are reporting a news item, they slant their language in such a way as to try and influence how the reader receives the news.

Correct AZ - language is vital in this discussion. Normalization being the ultimate aim of the propogandists

[Puckoon]

The search for impartiality in the news is a fruitless one. Not because it doesn't exist, but because there are so many topics in the world right now that are impossible to report or discuss without being accused of polarizing the conversation.

BBC has been battered by both Israel and Palestine with accusations of bias in reporting Palestinian aggression and agenda, and Israeli response and agenda  as an example. Surely if both "sides" in a news situation are accusing a broadcaster of bias, that actually speaks to a lack of bias?

In addition, if a news source is let's say biased against creationism Vs evolution - well given the weight of evidence for evolution Vs the evidence of creation - can that news source be accused of bias? I don't believe so.  Insert Global warming, vaccinations, Santa Claus etc in here.

I don't believe that the majority of main stream news is corrupt. Just because the 9 year olds who are being naughty want to make us believe that they didn't smash the vase doesn't mean that the facts arent stating otherwise.

Israel/Palestine has always been polarised, Puckoon, because Israel is a groupthink story.
Climate change is manipulated by people like the Kochs

the new news polarisation is a very different thing.

I disagree that it is very different. I just used an older and more documented example.