Do modern media distort truth? If truth is the first casualty of war it doesn't necessarily thrive in times of peace.

2014-10-02T11:39:51-04:00

If truth is the first casualty of war, it doesn't necessarily thrive in times of peace. Modern media coverage, including social media, means we now think we "know" more about more things faster than ever before in history. That can give us a pretty jaded picture that something is normal or abnormal in ways that can feed bias and influence our next behaviors. Consider Vietnam. Commanders and Congress wanted body counts. So they got them. Often inflated. Enemy used that against us to show our own dead bodies. We lost the battle for public opinion because the truth was lost."

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2014 11:53 AM

2014-10-02T11:53:37-04:00

Truth is always the first casualty of any news media. There's not ONE news media out there that doesn't have some sort of slant / intent in their news.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Oct 2 at 2014 2:23 PM

2014-10-02T14:23:28-04:00

I think that one thing to remember is that media outlets, to include social media outlets, have an agenda. That agenda usually revolves around headlines that "sell" and will eventually produce a profit for that outlet. It is always best to look for corroborating reports and research news outlets to identity those that are more close to the facts than others.

Response by SPC Brian Aranda made Oct 3 at 2014 4:26 PM

2014-10-03T16:26:15-04:00

I agree with 1SG Steven Stankovich The Media wants to sell a product, the better that product sells, the better their bottom line. Truth, while always in the best interests of reporting the facts, doesn't sell as well as sensationalism.

Response by SSG John Erny made Oct 3 at 2014 4:37 PM

2014-10-03T16:37:20-04:00

To the MSM the truth is a malleable thing, bent to be bent, twisted and stretched. Half a truth is a lie.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 4 at 2014 12:57 AM

2014-10-04T00:57:28-04:00

To paraphrase someone famous, if you don't track modern media, you are uninformed, but if you do track the modern media, you are misinformed.

They're an entertainment business, not a news source. I get a significant chunk of my news from abroad, while working to take into account their own bias.

Like how Al Jazeera actually has some decent coverage on Europe, but I know anything about the Arab-Israeli conflict will make MSNBC look fair and balanced, or RT look like a reliably source of news on Ukraine.

Good topic to bring up SGM Private RallyPoint Member.

V/R
SGT Mullet

Response by SCPO Larry Knight Sr. made Oct 4 at 2014 10:53 AM

2014-10-04T10:53:38-04:00

I take a look at what is being discussed, but don't hold a lot of stock in what social media or the networks are trying to get out. Most of the reporting is less than intelligent by " educated rocks with lips " who have no idea on what goes on in real time. It's like everyone has said, their trying to sell something and most of the time it isn't worth it.

Response by MSG Reid Zohfeld made Oct 4 at 2014 3:19 PM

2014-10-04T15:19:39-04:00

I was in a Press Camp Headquaters Unit and had to deal with the Media of all kinds. The unit would breif the Press and escort them. I can tell you this: They all had one thing in common, They are scum of the earth. They did not care if the story was correct as long as they where first to report on it. One of the worst was the Washington Press corp! They could not tell a story with out puttting a slant on it.

Response by SPC David S. made Oct 5 at 2014 2:59 PM

2014-10-05T14:59:12-04:00

Since media outlets are no longer reporting real news other than sports scores and weather its hard to take in what you hear as being factual. I feel that most are resorting to yellow journalism tactics to either gain market share or push an agendas. Unfortunately the news in not so much news anymore. I find myself watching foreign news outlets.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Oct 6 at 2014 10:11 AM

2014-10-06T10:11:32-04:00

News media has gone from reporting to distorting to fit their agenda. They all have one. One has to be aware of this and not take anything at face value.

I am a FOX News fan and watch it almost exclusively. Although I think they probably do a better job of covering both sides of an issue by having opposing views as a regular part of their shows, there is still no doubt that they are pushing a particular agenda. Since I support that agenda, that is the network I choose to watch; but I know they are not 100% news with no opinions mixed in.

There is no more "pure news", except, maybe, some local news coverage by local channels, not networks.