When will the media tide turn

[Time2change2]

So anyone who isn’t a complete ‘sheeple’ knows that much of the media and press is driven by what the government wants us to think and behave. Need them to stay in? Scare the living crap out of as many people as possible with day after day of deaths. Not working and young people still going out? Instantly day after day of young healthy people dying with COVID.
It’s worked it seems. Much of the UK have lapped it up and are now too scared to send kids back to school or go to work. But soon (over the next 2/3 months) kids are going to have to go back. Workers will have to return. Shops will need people back in spending money. And soon after that? Tourism will need to be restarted, flights will need to fly with people on them.
It’s going to take work from the media and government to undo the fear they have instilled.
I’m watching with interest about when the media tide turns. When will we hear of recoveries, good news stories and positive outcomes. When will this agenda be pushed?
Anyone else watching and waiting? It’s all so obvious to me and I can’t believe more people can’t see straight through it!

Absolutely! Was watching tv sky news last night and thought the same. London is miraculously recovering very quick!

‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time’

• Abraham Lincoln

I've said this from the start @Time2change2.
In March when there was talk of lockdown the population was split....so 24/7 news coverage of Italy and Spain and talk of bodies in the street (with the subtle subtext of "this will be YOU". So we locked down.
I'm not saying it wasnt the right thing to do at the time, it absolutely was. However this coverage went on and on for so long it terrified people into compliance.
Then spain and italy turned a corner. Suddenly they disappear from the news. Then we flatten the curve and talks of restrictions easing seem to start but by now everyone's so fucking terrified no one wants to leave the house and can't see any issue that isnt covid.
So then the media turns to the economical damage and other things to try and clear up the fear. The press briefings we are regularly told that for most covid is a mild illness etc etc but this message was lost amongst all the death.
You still see it now, if you watch the briefing the press will report what was said but with no context or explanation and only pick out the bits that will sell papers.
I definitely think the press have a lot to answer in their handling of this whole thing.

They will turn on the NHS soon as well - when the Government decides nurses/ doctors/ carers need to be put back in their boxes. All talk of gratitude and heroes will soon be forgotten. It will be austerity measures and pay freezes and anyone who disagrees will be greedy entitled fuckers.

@hatebeak well expressed, thank you

@hatebeak I came on here to say something similar.

It was clear in January (with the lack on scrutiny around what was already likely a "pandemic") that we had war time style censorship in place.

I made my own preparations at that point and took the news with a heavy grain of salt. It was striking how different the international news was, depending on what country the news source was from.

No doubt the truth will all come out in time.

I've said from the start that the BBC which is supposed to be impartial was clearly pushing certain messages. Really bothered me.

Try Al Jazeera. They are great.

I can’t decide if it’s the media driving the government or the other way around. 🤔

Sheepke is an extremely good and accurate description of instinctive human behaviour use it as much as you wish ignore the posting police.

BBC has been under attack by Tory govt before all this and needs to keep on their good side, is something that came to mind when this started up.

Maybe I'm cynical.

Interestingly the news that is not one of the main ones 6, 10 etc) is wider ranging and more nuanced.

Who actually reads newspapers anymore FFS? They're a national joke.

No, it's nothing to do with the "posting police" - "sheeple" is a red-flag cliche beloved of people who use conspiracy theories to make themselves feel special/better.
There's a difference between reading/watching rationally and critically - for bias, for an agenda, for nuance - and believing absolutely everything written or broadcast by journalists is either a lie or sinister conspiracy. The latter is basically the intellectual equivalent of injecting bleach - stupidly simplistic, the bluntest of tools - and the results are equally calamitous when it comes to sensible discourse.

There is some truth to what you say OP though I am not sure whether it's been government-led all along. I wonder whether we actually have government by social media (as well as mainstream media). Johnson craves popularity and has no actual views on anything so is easily swayed by whoever shouts loudest - which at present are those who think Covid will kill us all.

Anyone remember when it was washing hands and singing and BBC was all Jenny Harries saying people might feel a bit rough for a few days but should feel better soon...type thing...I wondered then should they not mention more that it might be tougher for some groups...

such a change..

I am sorry if I have offended anyone with the word sheeple. Using it though, does not loose me the right to be taken seriously. As orangeblossom said- people do act like sheep and follow each other blindly. It’s how humans have evolved and has served us well as a species in many cases.
I do NOT claim to know it all. I do not believe in conspiracy theories as a rule. But I do believe in questioning and researching what you have been told. Wether that’s by the government, media, friend, family member. Knowledge is power. Admitting you don’t know is also power because it allows you to research further and question further. The moment you think you know something absolutely, you have shut yourself off from expanding your knowledge. This is unhelpful in any area of life.
I have friends and family members who have taken in word for word the headlines and bbc reporting. Some friends have scared themselves silly. Read it, believed it, preached it. Not even bothered to ask if it’s true or taken out of context.
@ToffeeYoghurt the highest death rate in Europe is a prime example of what I’m talking about. Have we really had the highest rate? Really? If you believe what we are currently being told, but research further on this. It’s not as it seems and future years may come to prove this.

The spin doctors have been working very, very hard lately. Nothing is as it seems in the news. The strings are almost certainly being pulled by government; and I would bet my bottom dollar that they plant things in social media as well. I suspect they deliberately encouraged the curtain-twitching dobbing people in, and the public fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Figures can easily be fudged; there's not doubt the government's number bods are doing just that, to suit the agenda. "Of Covid" or "With Covid"? Subtle but important difference. Then suddenly they decided to include deaths in care homes. As far as I am concerned, the figures that are being thrown at us every day mean nothing. The saying "80% of statistics are made up on the spot" was never more true than now. Highest death rate in Europe? We have a very high population density compared to other countries in Europe; it's very easy to fudge the definition of "death rate" to make it look much higher than the others.

Using the police as they bogeyman to scare us into complying? The police probably did a few well-publicised raids on beauty spots to make it look as if they have the power and numbers to patrol everywhere: most of us know they really don't, if only because their numbers are cut to the bone. Maybe it was even a deliberate move to "go too far" as they did at first, even though it covered them in bad publicity. They talked of 3000 people visiting Brockwell Park in one day: for anyone who knows it, it's a huge park, surrounded by a densely populated area. On a normal hot summer's day it could easily have far more visitors than that. Then there's that famous photo of the long path in Windsor, clearly shown to get everyone shrieking in horror.

The media (and government) is the reason that at first, I refused to take the pandemic seriously at all. Over the years they've been telling us there will be Armageddon from the Millennium Bug, using our mobile phones, immigration, weapons of mass destruction; and that terrorists, paedophiles and extremists are around every corner. Those who cry wolf are not always believed.

I won't be surprised if there's an inflammatory headline "lockdown was unnecessary"; which might have in tiny print "says one spokesman".

It already has, past few days the news cycle online is no longer full of fear mongering stories. It actually feels like a normal news cycle day.

@LivinLaVidaLoki I agree with your post.

Look at what the media so, we knew a sunday announcement was coming and instead of just reporting that, there was a 3day frenzy scaring people into what easing restrictions would be with zero evidence of facts. Then they come out screaming about how government has done a u turn when they never did it's just the media made up some crap making us believe it to be true so it looks like a u turn.

Actually really disgusting how the media have behaved.

yes OP, I think that you might see people who refuse to school or return to work , who have no underlying issues, be called names that suggest less than brave.

Well it's really quite easy. We don't actually need the media or government to tell us basic common sense. We have eyes, ears, and a brain. Some have morals too.

There's a very infectious disease out there. It kills lots and lots of people. Particularly without early treatment. And many more including young and healthy are very ill for months. Look at the 'My lungs, Day 49' threads.

People can't work (and keep the economy going) when they're off sick.

Separate from the death rate. We can see the numbers. We have the highest number of deaths in Europe. And not just Europe. We have almost the highest in the whole world. Likewise our death rate.

And of course they needed to include the care home deaths. We've had more die in our care homes (largely due to criminal negligence) than other countries have had total number of deaths.

Yes. I've noticed the spin doctor/nudge types working very hard. They seem to have moved on from the apparently suddenly noticing 'Never seen more people out. Theres more traffic on the roads, etc, etc' posts.

Now they've adopted DARVO tactics. The spinners are apparently 'noticing' spin.....

I totally agree with OP.
I don't believe any numbers like Wanderings. We are being lied to and manipulated.
Lots of people cannot think rationally. I have friends with no health problems and younger than 50 who are scared to go shopping and wipe all the packaging when their shopping is delivered. They are happy to stay at home until vaccine but then they can work from home and get 100% of their salary.
This propaganda created do much resentment in society.

yes OP, I think that you might see people who refuse to school or return to work , who have no underlying issues, be called names that suggest less than brave.
Sensible? Cautious? Moral fibre? Concern for others (the mark of a civilised society)?
Living with a vulnerable household member (adult or child)?

Perhaps they're aware of the well-known fact that many apparently healthy people live unknowingly with underlying conditions. Some are very common and often remain undiagnosed for some time before symptoms become apparent.

I don't believe any numbers like Wanderings. We are being lied to and manipulated.
Rather offensive to the many many people who've lost loved ones.

Don't believe the numbers? Go to a morgue or cemetery or hospital or care home. It will stare you in the face.

Nothing wrong with somebody being cautious and wiping down their shopping. We're dealing with a highly infectious disease that, if it doesn't kill you, could still knock you off your feet for weeks and weeks and weeks. Not pleasant and perfectly normal to try to avoid.

We're not Sweden where 50% of the population live in single person households. Many healthy under 50s will be living with older household members or younger ones with underlying conditions. These conditions are very common.

Lots of people also have morals and want to minimise their chances of catching it so they don't pass it on to someone at higher risk. Friends, family, people in the shops, etc.

It takes 5-10 minutes to wipe. I don't do it myself (I wash hands thoroughly) but it's a harmless quick measure that gives some people valuable peace of mind. Why does that bother you? How does that affect you?

Wiping down shopping doesn’t affect me. What will affect me though is a continued nation of fear. Wiping shopping is just another trickle of the fear machine. Some fear is justified. The level of fear the country is in at the moment is not IMO. My neighbours won’t go to any shops or even accept deliveries! I assume they are doing click and collect for shopping but when I suggested getting a diy item to fix their fence online they said no, we don’t accept deliveries either.
My own father won’t even come to the window with me behind the glass when he dropped something in my porch. He steps back when I approach behind the window like a killer is going to jump through the glass.
Reminds me of when people didn’t want to catch HIV from a toilet seat.
Why does the fear affect me? Because fear stops children going back to school, stops people working, stops money being paid into essential services needed to keep us all safe and well, watered and fed.

Stopped reading at "sheeple"

Ridiculous phrase, tells me all I need to know about whatever nonsense will be in the post.