Tumblin Tumbleweed
Gold Member
- Mar 16, 2015
- 20,974
- 7,227
- 265
I keep hearing conflicting narratives that the ‘main stream media’ is helping or hurting American society. Yet, when an objective definition of ‘main stream media’ is requested, no one seems to be able to produce one. The partisan loons that constantly regurgitate bias about it seem to keep this conflict alive and ever growing.
The internet has allowed the non-‘main stream’ to become a part of the national political dialogue. Over the last decade there has been an increase in politically biased left and right ‘sources’ that all want to be a part of the conversation. It’s not about content anymore, it’s about who’s first to report, and facts/objectivity be damned. Hell, they can always post a retraction later.
Character assassination and ‘Gotcha’ headlines rule the roost these days, and the fourth estate is not getting any friendlier. The integrity of journalism seems to be in a downward spiral. How can we decipher facts between reputable news institutions with longevity like Fox, CNN and Washington Post and other blogs, upstarts and independent sources like Breitbart, Huffington Post and InfoWars? Is there any difference between these sources at all anymore? Has factual reporting been completely overtaken by sensationalism?
It certainly doesn’t help when elected officials can use their Twitter accounts to instantly broadcast messages crafted to muddy the waters of political dialogue. Is social media an effective tool for the distribution of news or does it make things worse? Should Twitter and Facebook be considered trusted sources?
Americans are seemingly inundated with information faster that we can consume it. There is so much information available that we can now tailor it into a constant, steady stream that cements our own personal biases and insecurities on a daily basis, filtering out all alternative opinion. This is where I believe one of the main sources of America’s growing political divide comes from.
Do you believe consuming news from a bubble of personal bias is a good idea? Something that we can be proud of/happy about? If not, what can we do to improve it? Discuss.
The internet has allowed the non-‘main stream’ to become a part of the national political dialogue. Over the last decade there has been an increase in politically biased left and right ‘sources’ that all want to be a part of the conversation. It’s not about content anymore, it’s about who’s first to report, and facts/objectivity be damned. Hell, they can always post a retraction later.
Character assassination and ‘Gotcha’ headlines rule the roost these days, and the fourth estate is not getting any friendlier. The integrity of journalism seems to be in a downward spiral. How can we decipher facts between reputable news institutions with longevity like Fox, CNN and Washington Post and other blogs, upstarts and independent sources like Breitbart, Huffington Post and InfoWars? Is there any difference between these sources at all anymore? Has factual reporting been completely overtaken by sensationalism?
It certainly doesn’t help when elected officials can use their Twitter accounts to instantly broadcast messages crafted to muddy the waters of political dialogue. Is social media an effective tool for the distribution of news or does it make things worse? Should Twitter and Facebook be considered trusted sources?
Americans are seemingly inundated with information faster that we can consume it. There is so much information available that we can now tailor it into a constant, steady stream that cements our own personal biases and insecurities on a daily basis, filtering out all alternative opinion. This is where I believe one of the main sources of America’s growing political divide comes from.
Do you believe consuming news from a bubble of personal bias is a good idea? Something that we can be proud of/happy about? If not, what can we do to improve it? Discuss.
