Should one take media reports at face value?

[noname223]

Are there neutral news?
Do most journalists have a conflict of Interest when they are reporting?
Is the attention span of audience used by the powerful to deflect from responsibilities/criticism?
Do most media companies have a conflict of Interest too?
Do journalists actually know the truth or do they form narratives that just sound compelling?
Is balanced and informative information actually demanded and rewarded by consumers?
Do the idiosyncrasies of new information technologies influence the way news are perceived and mediate the impact of public opinion?
How strong do Interest groups and lobbies pressure media outlets and people in power?
Is the Internet and bogus conspiracy theories often used in a way to deflect from real conspiracy theories and a well-informed debates?
Does the media system often has an inherent incentive structure to remain tame towards the elites, captitalistic structures, donors, billionaires and leading politicians?
While social media is flodded with scams, death threats, bots and toxic shortterm forms of interactions. Emotional content that tries to provoke as much as possible to get the most attention.
And finally: Is following the news just a huge waste of time?

 

[Dejected 55]

Too many angles for this conversation... but generally speaking, there might not be a lot of reason to just assume anything that anyone ever says is true just because they said it in a seemingly authoritarian way.

People lie... people are biased... people don't verify and validate sources or information. Whether purposeful or neglectful, stuff sneaks through all the time... and the retractions never get the same coverage as the initial false information... and that's even when a retraction or admission comes at all.

It may never have been true to rely on news coverage... but there was a time when people kid of had to, because pre-internet and pre-TV/radio you really only knew what happened right where you were at most of the time... so any news you got from outside your local area you kind of had to rely on or just ignore because you couldn't possibly verify it all.

Bad actors can ruin things quickly.

There also isn't any real incentive for the news to get it right... only to be first, get ratings, make money, etc. Sure, some have integrity but they can get buried under all the other stuff. People want to be entertained more than they want to be informed. Even people who want to be informed want it to be entertaining a lot of the time, which means the flair is more likely to get attention than just the facts.

 

[DarkRange55]

News organizations held off on reporting Venezuela raid

The American news organizations held their stories over concerns about endangering US troops.

www.semafor.com

 

[Winterreise]

Yes, unless you want to end up in a consentration camp
If something unjust happen to you, who is gonne report it? Who's gonne tell your story? Who is gonne believe you?

 

[DarkRange55]

Growing List Of Democratic Billionaire Kings & Queens Funnel Millions Into Terror-Tied Nonprofits | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

In the Fog of War: How a Network of Nonprofits with Marxist and CCP Ties, and Elected Socialists, Raced to Counter Washington’s Narrative of the Maduro Raid

WASHINGTON — Within hours of the Trump administration’s surprise extraction operation in Venezuela, commentary surrounding President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest for alleged narco-state conspiracies metastasized into something Trump’s war cabinet could not control with stealth helicopters, radar...

www.thebureau.news

Make of that what you will………

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-01-05-2026/card/how-journalism-is-good-business-for-this-hedge-fund-C1qcb3hU8DiC5loC6qx2

 

[Winterreise]

Be careful what you wish for

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think it's sensible to be cautious. It may not even be because of their own bias if they get things wrong. Sometimes, they'll be reporting on what they know so far- which might not actually be correct. Sometimes, it's our government smokescreen- rather than their own. I'm sure none of us are given the whole truth about certain things.

I think it's sensible to be aware of bias though and possible corruption. It's not to utterly distrust everything but, I'm not sure I do entirely trust anything either.