Do you believe mainstream media?

[jujiju]

I don’t. I used to and I miss being in that safe bubble. I still have a look to see what is being reported, but I’m no longer in that place where I just assume what I’m being fed is correct without doing my own research.

I can't remember much of that when I was at school in the 80s (not saying it didn't happen, just that I don't remember it 😆), but I'm glad it's happening now.

I do however remember being taught the importance of reliable sources, citations etc at university, and it was interesting to see that during Covid those of my peers who got sucked down the "CoVId is all a hOAX do ur owN reSEArch" rabbit hole were inevitably those who hadn't attended university.

why do people do that weird random capital letters thing? i assume it's meant to be witty or show superior use of English.
Can I recommend you stop as it is so so tiresome and makes you look a bit dense tbh

Oh, those well known and verified services, Substack and indie podcasts… !

Some will be good, some will be less good.

Your best bet is to read a mix of news sources, eg Guardian, Private Eye, BBC fact-checked.

I’m not surprised Covid was a period where people started questioning the media more. Firstly the headlines were intense. The idea of doom for profit really ramped up as it worked so well.

Secondly because there was a group focusing on best comms for compliance, and as experts they advised on what to put out to get people to change behaviour. That is manipulation, which can get push back.

Edit agree with @mightymoogand capital letters thing you see on here.

I cARe nOt A fiG FOr ur tIResOmE OpINIoN

The problem is you dont' seem to understand what I'm saying. I'm NOT disputing that media is biased. I 100% agree that we should not be taking all our information from a single news source. The thing that I an finding so frustrating is that people are so disappointed to discover, well into the 21st century, that media is biased and that you have to apply critical thinking. It's impossible for me to fathom that this is news to anyone. Although I'm not sure why I'm surprised - I've long been horrified at the number of people who take Daily Mail news articles as gospel truth, as written.

I'm also struggling to get my head around people being outraged that the media report on what people in POWER say. If the prime minister stands up and says, "the sky will be red in 2 weeks" there's no reason why media wouldn't print that. The article would say, "The Prime Minister today announced the sky will change to red in 2 weeks time. Scientists at Cambridge University have corroborated this statement, pointing to an expected pass by of 12 comets".

If, in 2 weeks, the sky is NOT red. Then no, the newspapers were not lying. They reported on something that turned out not to be true. And I would expect the next story to be "The prime minister has refused to apologise for claiming the sky would turn red in 2 weeks, insisting that he was misled by scientists."

The issue with Covid is that loads of people think covid was a big ol' scam and that because the media are not necessarily reporting on this supposed big ol' scam, that means theyre colluding. But until credible, reliable sources based on actual science are out there saying that no, more people did NOT die during covid, then it doesn't seem weird to me that th emedia are not reporting on Daisy May down the pub whose uncle's wife's neighbour's cat's original owner KNOWS what reallyhappened....

I don't really, but nor do I trust the "Do your own research" types online either.

Like a PP, it was the trans things that really opened my eyes to how manipulative even sources I once trusted (like the Guardian and the BBC) can be in their reporting (or lack of).

So, these days, I've kept my Private Eye subscription, and I read that, otherwise, I don't really keep up with the news beyond what people tell me or what I see in the course of my day, on here, for example.

It was during COVID that a lot of people fell down conspiracy rabbit holes. They found 'alternative' news sources which supported chem trails, the royal family as lizards, Putin is just misunderstood and a shadow government. Obviously vaccines were putting microchips into people...

I think its a good idea to stay aware of bias, so I trust the Guardian not to make stuff up or print conspiracy theories, but I know it is quite left leaning and would generally a put positive light on leftie causes and a negative opinion on right wing issues.
I also generally trust the BBC and the News Agents podcast, for US stuff Jon stewert, Seth Meyers and a few other of those kind of comedy clips.

What’s your definition of hard right?

I always find this interesting.
From talking to a fair few people I have never come across anyone who believes eg. lizards/ microchips . It's simply what appears to be an easy way to shut down discussion. ie. you think covid was massively blown out of proportion= you believe Bill Gates is going to put chips in our brains.
it's so lazy and adds absolotely nothing to a discussion apart from highlighting you read this 5 years ago and thought it hilarious so will carry on saying it.

sorry, that was too difficult to read. maybe take some night classes in basic english?

anyhting that doesn't align 100% with their opinion I should imagine

Probably because you dont' engage with a lot of different views. I know people who are deeply suspicious of bill gates and who absolutely thought that he was colluding to make vaccines that could control us.

I am not sure anyone thinks that the response to covid wasn't handled quite badly or that there were mistakes made. That's what I find weird. As someone upthread said, when it started, everyone was running around panicking and didn't have a clue. That doesn't mean it was a conspiracy - everyone was panicking and the media absolutely was reporting on that.

I've seen loads of articles in the MSM over the last few years offering reports on thoughtful analysis that has been done subsequently on where mistakes were made and what lessons could/should be learned.

I don’t trust the media to tell the whole non biased truth. I look at a variety of sources and accept I still won’t know the whole story. I came to this conclusion after reviewing inaccurate media reports from two events I knew the inside story of.

No

so you personally know people who thought gates was going to put microchips in our brais?
Do you work in a secure psychiatric facility by any chance, otherwise your friends are very very extreme and ill.
And you mentioned the lizards thing, I take it you personally know people who think the royal family are lizards? fascinating. Without being too outing where do you know these people from?

its common for people to look back at Covid and say “everyone was panicking”

I don’t think that’s true, I certainly wasn’t panicking, at any point. To be fair to Chris Whitty, he stated over and over again that “this was a mild disease for most people”

Why would most people be panicking then?
That can only be due to media manipulation? Project Fear (a real thing)

I never washed my shopping, locked my Covid infected children in their rooms, or shouted at someone to ‘keep 2m away’. I didn’t lose my mind like you think everyone did

You have nothing to add to the discussion because you admit to reading absolutely no sources of news. Therefore you can't form an informed opinion.

'Speaking to a few people' isn't a source of reputable information.

yep, 100% agree.
It went from mild illness for the vast majority to WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!

Nice extra revenue foir MSM for a couple of years but it's comng back to bite them now.
The huge drop in people paying for a TV license is a direct consequence of covid

I read the news until a few years ago.
i see headlines and will often form an opinion on what I've seen.
The fact you read the news doesn't give you any more moral or intellectual right to an opinion.
You also seem weirdly angry that I try to avoid the news as much as possible.

I used to think that this was tin hat territory, but having first hand experience of news worthy stories that was incorrectly reported by the mainstream media (inc BBC) I think that you cannot not

not all the time, but how do I know which is and which isn’t?

watch it, you'll be told you're part of the lizard conspiracy

I couldn't care less what you do or don't do but don't try to pretend you know anything about what's going on if you're not reading anything regarding current affairs.

Absolute bollocks that the BBC did not offer analysis on those people whose social media posts led to them being arrested, charged and imprisoned. I saw and heard it. They always analyse and if they cannot verify information independently they say so. I think you are selectively hearing/reading what you want to.