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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: skinowski who wrote (119813)	11/17/2003 4:37:23 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

If a Western journalist would begin writing crazy, or lie all over the place - his colleagues or readers or editors would notice, and his reputation would be shot Not necessarily. Robert Fisk has been caught in numerous fabrications, and it doesn't seem to have affected his career at all.

To: skinowski who wrote (119813)	11/17/2003 6:02:58 PM
From: Dennis O'Bell	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Western media is far from perfect, but it is reasonably free, and it is "peer reviewed".... The biggest problem with media, particularly here in the US, is that it's driven by advertising revenue and desire to always increase circulation above all else, and honest and above all intelligent reporting has to take a backseat in the minds of those managing the media. The conspiracy theory "government intervention", while not completely absent (depending on which magazine or newspaper is under discussion), is a small problem by comparison. Media is by and large just dumbed down by the incessant drive to increase circulation, which results in most journalists being forced to repeat the same stupid clichés over and over. I would far prefer to see this problem addressed before worrying about media bias, but it's pretty hopeless. I also suspect that those who stupidly download what the media says would be immune to intelligent reporting anyway, since this is always going to require the reader or listener to think for themselves based on the facts presented. Many people would prefer to hear what they already believe confirmed, it's much so much more comfortable than having to have doubts or think things through, and anyway most people are busy raising families, working for a living, dealing with the day to day problems that always arise in the course of life to have that much time to expend. What goes on in Iraq is remote except for those families who've lost a soldier. At least until the next big-time gas crisis, like the early 70's. That at least would make people pay attention to foreign policy since it would hit them in their pocketbooks and day to day life. Imagine not being able to gas up that SUV to take the kids to little league because the House of Saud playing cards finally fell.