Do you believe in our press to bring us the factual news or has journalism slipped into a different plane entirely?

Maj Marty Hogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:08:02 -0400

Media bias has been high on my list of pet peeves. We have many on RP that rely on sites that have no accreditation what so ever, but the sources we used to trust....can we?

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2017 12:09 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:09:27 -0400

Ain't this the horrible truth......

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Mar 30 at 2017 12:10 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:10:28 -0400

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth MSgt George Cater Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" PO1 Chris V.SGT Private RallyPoint Member SFC George Smith SFC Private RallyPoint Member MAJ Charles Blake MSG Chris Allen SFC Christopher Perry CPT Private RallyPoint Member SGT Damaso V Santana MSG Dan Castaneda SrA Edward Vong SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM] Capt Christopher Mueller SPC Douglas Bolton SFC William Farrell

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Mar 30 at 2017 12:10 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:10:38 -0400

SMSgt Roger Horton SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Robert Marx Cynthia Croft CPL Shawn Lawson ENS Private RallyPoint Member SGT Private RallyPoint Member ] SFC Chad Sowash PO3 Ricky Foster CPT Jack Durish PO3 Ricky Foster SCPO Private RallyPoint Member COL Lee Flemming PO2 (Anonymous) Sgt Private RallyPoint Member MSgt Private RallyPoint Member 1SG Dan Capri PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Private RallyPoint Member 2LT Private RallyPoint Member

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Mar 30 at 2017 12:10 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:10:49 -0400

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Mar 30 at 2017 12:11 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:11:25 -0400

I've answered this question countless times without being asked. Asking it opens you to a long explanation. However, I think I'll cut to the chase this time. Hell, no

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2017 12:12 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:12:52 -0400

A different plane. A different planet. An alternate universe. The media is nothing but politically spun garbage now.

Response by SFC Dave Beran made Mar 30 at 2017 12:17 PM

SFC Dave Beran — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:17:39 -0400

Sorry. Couldn't wait to use this one.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2017 12:22 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:22:47 -0400

I'm a Public Affairs Officer and I don't trust/believe the media. Media is business and spins what they need to for their benefit.

Response by TSgt Kenneth Ellis made Mar 30 at 2017 12:24 PM

TSgt Kenneth Ellis — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:24:09 -0400

No. Look Nort Korea fires off five missiles. And Iran shit off two. That was in the News for two days. And they went in to bash Trump.

Response by CPL Eric Escasio made Mar 30 at 2017 12:27 PM

CPL Eric Escasio — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:27:26 -0400

Its like watching saturday night live...

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Mar 30 at 2017 12:30 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:30:51 -0400

One has to do their research, most reports contain a grain of truth to give ideologues something to cling to. Read multiple articles and research, then use common sense.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Mar 30 at 2017 12:31 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:31:33 -0400

No.

They have proven themselves to be dishonest.

Response by SSgt Jim Gilmore made Mar 30 at 2017 12:35 PM

SSgt Jim Gilmore — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:35:15 -0400

The media started its decline when networks and stations decided that newsrooms had to start earning their keep. It was further eroding with the Gary Hart / Donna Rice fiasco. Since then the concept of real journalism has been on a slow decline...until a few years ago. Now, the news media in the US is, in my opinion, the National Enquirer on TV and facebook and other social media platforms.

None of them has any real credibility anymore and even substantiated stories need to be reviewed for inaccuracies and the intent to slant the reporting. Probably with few or no exceptions we have ALL fallen for what I call click bait. A headline inferring that John Q politician got caught and now he's finished type of story. You can stop it by not clicking on it and doing some of your own research.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 30 at 2017 12:38 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:38:28 -0400

Unless you grew up under a rock.... In the '70s, the accuracy of major newspapers and the big 3 TV types was pegged at 14-17% through various studies. The WSJ typically had a higher rating primarily due to the specific topics (business, financial, market, some technology) emphasis. The Vietnam War drove a lot of the change from the '60s. Much of what took it down so low related to what was not being presented. In other words, cherry picking. So my guesstimate with today's heavily biased lens and the rise of "fake news" aka propaganda prominence, the accuracy percentage is likely half or 7%. It's nearing the point where the only factual is "something happened yesterday". The actual "what" is heavily tailored, hence making the "why" an open canvas for ideological pontificating.

If you take a look at the uber types pushing PC stuff, it's all about control of you. It's exactly the Maoist Cultural crap that stomped over people for decades, just repackaged for American, European, or whatever consumption. Think about it. You express an opinion (free speech). Rather than discussed, you're a criminal who improperly caused someone to run off to their safe room on the college campus. You can only redeem yourself by self punishment. All out of Chairman Mao's textbook. Seriously.

First step to recovery? Like AA, acknowledge the problem. Call it what it is. Radical Islamic Terrorism and not workplace violence. Propaganda not fake news. Immigration refusal to assimilate not "we're unwelcoming". Since there's such a gap in defining the "it", I don't expect any productive progress any time soon. That's why I don't spend much time on the next step which would be the defining actual negative impacts. People tend to jump to number 2, decide a broad based number 1 is the problem, and then targets a wider population improperly for their scorn. Signed, Disabled Retired Vet Deplorable. Label, label, label. We must get away from labels.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Mar 30 at 2017 12:44 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:44:37 -0400

I view news much like a couple fighting. There's "His side", "Her side", and the truth.

I think it is up to everyone to take in the information that floods our TVs, smartphones, radios, or whatever other devices you use for your news, and then listen to the other side. Take all that information and practice a little common sense. To only take in what they are saying and not apply your own common sense to it leads to the misguided feelings we all have had towards the news.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 30 at 2017 12:51 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 12:51:47 -0400

Their slowly going down a slippery slope.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2017 1:17 PM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 13:17:30 -0400

When it comes to media here is how I proceed.

Read a story from Site A.
Try and find same subject story on sites B,C,D,and E. Pull all same data and correlate probability if its all the same its correct (age/ location/ who/ ect ect) Some items only show up on one site at that point I use 3 different search engines to see what the web has to say then correlate that data.
I use the .gov resource web sites for census data and statistics where they are collected and when I need them. Most often I look for raw data and then go from there.

At the end of the day though I only believe half what I see and a tenth what I hear.

Response by SGT David T. made Mar 30 at 2017 1:19 PM

SGT David T. — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 13:19:20 -0400

I trust that they are trying to sell ads and present messages to that their target audience is receptive to. Beyond that, I don't trust anything they say. I find if I compare and contrast what opposite positions say, where they line up is usually more or less factual.

Response by SPC Kevin Ford made Mar 30 at 2017 1:23 PM

SPC Kevin Ford — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 13:23:01 -0400

Maj Marty Hogan I think modern news outlets are trying to make money. They will do things like putting up click bait headlines in an attempt to get you to click on them. Some are more accurate than others, but you always have to keep in mind that ultimately they are looking to make money. Sensational items make more money than non-sensational ones. What is and isn't sensational depends on the media outlet's audience.

Then there are ones that just make things up or at very least do not do their due diligence. Those are mostly trying to make money too. It's part of the reason why we have people living under two different realities.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Mar 30 at 2017 2:48 PM

PO1 Brian Austin — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 14:48:45 -0400

They provide whatever info fit's their particular agenda.
It's becoming more and more difficult to separate the "wheat from the chaff".

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Mar 30 at 2017 2:57 PM

CPT Lawrence Cable — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 14:57:00 -0400

With maybe the exceptions of the period from about 1950 through early in the 1960's, there really hasn't been the pretext that the newspapers and media were trying to be fair or even accurate. Look at the Revolutionary War and post war period, the period leading up to the Civil War and the Yellow Journalism of the early 20th century makes it obvious that bias and inaccuracy aren't exactly new. A big part of the problem is the 24 hour news cycle, so now instead of reporters, too many of the anchors are talking heads , so they "interpret" then news instead of just reporting the story.

Response by LCpl Stephen Arnold made Mar 30 at 2017 3:07 PM

LCpl Stephen Arnold — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:07:35 -0400

No; the press has proven it has an agenda NOT conducive to the American tax payer.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Mar 30 at 2017 3:08 PM

MSgt James Mullis — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:08:47 -0400

I look at it like this. The "Media" is there to inform the viewer/reader about a subject by telling them a story (the narrative). The story may be true or it may be false, but it is ALWAYS designed to invoke a response, even when the reader doesn't realize it. The problem we face today (and it may be somewhat generational) is that people confuse having viewed a video clip, read an article, or in many cases simply read the headline and quickly browsed through the first paragraph, with being informed and/or educated on a subject.

I recall someone who asked me to describe a helicopter, which I can do fairly well. But in the end he pointed out that despite all my knowledge, there are dozens of volumes of filled with what I DON'T know about helicopters. The news is the same.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 30 at 2017 3:52 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:52:37 -0400

Each and every day millions upon millions of events occur Maj Marty Hogan. It has long fascinated me that the major media outlet seem to cover the same events in general. Of the many murders, car accidents, child abductions, missing persons, corruption among officials, etc. Some events attract the attention of the media outlets while the others are relegated to local news or generally uncovered.
I do not think there is a vast conspiracy, rather I think that laziness is the prime culprit. Newscasters [sounds every close to fishing:-) ] simply rely on the stories that are fed to them to pontificate on.
First I remember that God is in complete control of everything.
2nd I pray for wisdom each day and seek to be discerning in what I read - I generally avoid network news which is thrust out at you. I prefer to read the news and research what I read from alternate sources.

Response by SPC Douglas Bolton made Mar 30 at 2017 3:56 PM

SPC Douglas Bolton — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 15:56:08 -0400

Maj Marty Hogan Don't even go there. I am sooooo not into what any newcast says. Most of the time it isn't even true. Think back to the presidential election.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 30 at 2017 4:21 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 16:21:07 -0400

there is no longer reporting facts by the media, lately its like report this sh&* and see where it lands, no verification only sensualizalation to get views and ratings, and if wrong oh well our source, or the reporter had an agenda, freedom of the press is a great tool, it can if done correctly give us an unbiased view, but lately that hasn't happened, integrity of the reporters are gone

Response by CPO Emmett (Bud) Carpenter made Mar 30 at 2017 4:40 PM

CPO Emmett (Bud) Carpenter — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 16:40:31 -0400

In my 24 years on active duty I was present for several events that made front page news. I have yet to read a story where the tv/newspaper got all the story right. The news media sells news story's not the truth.

Response by SFC George Smith made Mar 30 at 2017 4:55 PM

SFC George Smith — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 16:55:53 -0400

US version of Pravda...

Response by Sam Carter made Mar 30 at 2017 5:13 PM

Sam Carter — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 17:13:13 -0400

I think big mainstream media like fox news, cnn, headline news etc aims to report the news to firstly please the shareholders and what the bosses want to hear. On all those big channels i have heard stories that I dont care about, like a boy in the neighborhood selling lemonade flavored with grapes or something to that effect. And they dont report enough about what is going on in the world. They only report maybe some sort of military aggression from another country but thats it.

I am so turned off by the bigger media companies so now I like to get my news from other reliable sources like NPR (been listening since I was a kid and my dad got me into it lol).

Response by SSgt Robert Marx made Mar 30 at 2017 6:46 PM

SSgt Robert Marx — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 18:46:36 -0400

We must be wary of news headlines propagated by independent agencies. Traditional news organizations have always had a slant but that bias could be seen and allowances made. Blatantly false stories or ones with some true components but false information added to it are scary in that certain people actually believe what is written.

Response by LTC David Brown made Mar 30 at 2017 8:13 PM

LTC David Brown — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 20:13:27 -0400

I trust dumpster Dave sushi more than the press. Consider Venezuela is imploding, a country in our own hemisphere that was once prosperous. Even zoo animals are starving. Not many nightly news reports. My best guess is because people might realize the reality of socialism being shoved down our throats. All the BS about Trump and the Russians while the Clinton Podesta machine actually made money off the Russians. Every news anchor is as breathless as a teen seeing his first naked women over Nunes and investigation of the Russians. Where the hell were they when Holder lied about weapons being smuggled into Mexico? Oh excuse me that was Democrats so no calls for special prosecutors. Gee when will CNN get investigated for passing debate questions to Hillary? Oh no problem. As the British would say "bugger off",

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 31 at 2017 12:50 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 00:50:25 -0400

Maj Marty Hogan nope..I verify as much as I can from across the board from multiple sources (I probably do a better job vetting than some "fake news" organizations).

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Mar 31 at 2017 1:27 AM

Capt Seid Waddell — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 01:27:33 -0400

Media is currently at a low point in its history - it has become very partisan and politically-driven with just a precious few exceptions.

Response by SFC Don Vance made Mar 31 at 2017 4:15 AM

SFC Don Vance — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 04:15:54 -0400

Journalism hasn't slipped into an entirely different plane. It left the planet!! The mainstream media is nothing more than propaganda paid for by the left. They're not reporting the truth, they're spinning stories out of rumors and innuendos. They don't investigate or verify anything. They've become so focused on creating stories and headlines that I'd believe used car salesmen, crack heads, and politicians before I'd believe the mainstream media.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Mar 31 at 2017 8:28 AM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 08:28:03 -0400

No. Journalism has slipped into another plane completely where feelings outweigh any factual information. Typically I'll read the same story from multiple sources simply so I can get the actual story hidden underneath the biased slant.

Can we trust sources. Of course not. But, it pays to know what angle the person is trying to push before reading the story. It makes it easier to navigate the agenda.

Response by Robin Billingsley made Mar 31 at 2017 10:54 AM

Robin Billingsley — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 10:54:00 -0400

I absolutely believe that when used appropriately the media can be a highly effective tool for raising awareness of social, business and government injustices. We live in a society where a small wrong can easily become a media storm and I personally think that's great :)

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Apr 2 at 2017 9:43 AM

COL Vincent Stoneking — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 09:43:08 -0400

Interesting topic, and I am going to lift the substance of a comment I made in another thread.

I have known the actual details of several things that ended up being covered in the media, both related to the military and my civilian career/life. In EACH instance, the media significantly misreported, even though they had been given the factual information. EVERY person I know of who has been in a similar situation (knowing the actual facts of a news story) has said the exact same thing. It is also worth noting how closely the "facts" reported cleave to that reporter/network's agenda...

I do not believe that they have a 100% failure rate with things that I know about and a 100% success rate with everything else.

And that's not even touching on how they decide what to cover in the first place.

Edit: Also, just like in the military, first reports (i.e. "breaking news") are about 1000% likely to be not only wrong, but breathtakingly so.

Response by Laurie Geoffroy made Apr 6 at 2017 2:26 PM

Laurie Geoffroy — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 14:26:11 -0400

I miss Walter Cronkite......

Response by SPC Craig Abram made Apr 6 at 2017 8:43 PM

SPC Craig Abram — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 20:43:03 -0400

the media is a joke, if you want real news listen to Rush, Hannity or Mark Levin.... MSM is a joke and run by hardcore leftists....

Response by SPC Chuck Moseby made Apr 7 at 2017 6:24 PM

SPC Chuck Moseby — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 18:24:22 -0400

I feel that the news sources have an addenda, and that is their ratings. They don,t care about the reader or viewer except to sell their sponsors product. We all need to check multiple sources to get the real info.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2017 8:18 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 20:18:49 -0400

Some of the stories are politically motivated. Look at the transgender 3rd grader in Catholic School topic as top story on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation morning news headline or something similar in the United States. I've seen similar stories on the Canadian version of Newsweek call McLean's. We have except the transgender Personnel in the military and we have classes over it and that makes sense. But having that as a top story for civilian news scenes politically motivated.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 8 at 2017 10:14 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 22:14:16 -0400

Mainstream media sources are for-profit organizations, so no I don't believe that their sole motivation is to ensure that I have an unbiased and accurate accounting of current events. The best I can do to compensate for this is to consume my news through a variety of sources, with the sources coming from a variety of biased slants.

Response by SGT David T. made Jun 7 at 2017 7:05 PM

SGT David T. — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 19:05:24 -0400

I honestly look at media from both ends of the spectrum. Most of the time where they line up are the facts. Everything else is interpretation.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 14 at 2019 1:35 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 13:35:41 -0500

Many are predisposed to say "fake news".

Response by LTC Wayne Brandon made Dec 15 at 2019 6:02 PM

LTC Wayne Brandon — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 18:02:27 -0500

Is this a trick question?

Response by SSG Franklin Briant made Dec 16 at 2019 1:54 AM

SSG Franklin Briant — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 01:54:44 -0500

So true brother. Great share.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Jan 5 at 2020 12:34 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Sun, 05 Jan 2020 12:34:42 -0500

I think at some they only want us to hear what they want so to go manipulate our response(s) Some are just readers of what’s in front of them. They’re like automatons.. repeat same s**t over n over
(Like said: tell Then the same s**t enough times and eventually they’ll believe it).
It gets me.. I have a program on and I had just seen what a reporter said with the cam showing the action and another reporter says s’thing different on another
Channel.. wtf already ! Just gouging to stand there and blatantly lie to the American public and anybody else listening?