RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (Full Version)

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Archer -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 12:44:58 PM)

I would contend it tells us more about the American News Market than anthing much abrout the magazine itself, other than that it is in business to sell whatever advertisements it has.Thus it packages itself to reach the most readers it can in each market it is in.

What is sickening is that the US consumers of news magazines are more interested in news about Celebrities than hard news.




juliaoceania -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 12:52:23 PM)

How did it happen that Americans became more interested in celebrities than other people in the world? Did that happen by accident? Perhaps we are just more flawed than other people?

Personally speaking I could give a rat's ass about celebrities and I do not like mixing them in my news. I like Angelina Jolie and think a  lot of what she is doing in the world, but it is sad that unless it is a celebrity like her or Bono or Sean Penn talking about these things we do not care.




Archer -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 12:57:47 PM)

It is a very sad thing that is well documented though. What was the percentage of people who named Entertainment Tonight as their primary news source in that poll earlier this year?

And WTF was that Katey Couric (sp) story with Tom Cruise's Baby as a national news story when so many other stories were much more deserving of the air time.




Archer -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 12:59:40 PM)

But to answer the question I would say the Nielson (sp) Rateings are to blame because they told the news people that folks watched more fluff and celebrity stories than hard news. And that started decades ago.




toservez -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 1:00:06 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

How did it happen that Americans became more interested in celebrities than other people in the world? Did that happen by accident? Perhaps we are just more flawed than other people?


I do not think we are flawed but I think we live such a sheltered life that it is too easy to tune out real news because it so rarely directly impacts our life. We can complain all we want about gas prices, but how many of us truly changed our driving habits?

As long as our day to day does not change suddenly it seems in the end we really do not care that much. I think because America is so large and protected compared to other countries we take this unfortunate attitude. I have many relatives in Taiwan and all of them can talk for hours on world events and especially anything to do with China but to them it is much more personal and I think Americans just do not feel it on that level.

Lin





jesskitty -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 3:02:16 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

quote:

ORIGINAL: ShiftedJewel

Why is it repulsive?
 
And Chaingang... ignorance is bliss.... you know?
 
Jewel


It shows how they change the news to keep us in the dark, I find that repulsive

since we live in a capatilistic society, and money is important their probably going to want to sell their product. and to sell their product they are going to have to cater to their audience. i do not belive there trying to keep anyone in the dark, infact i think they are trying to sell the most newsweeks they can and they know america as a whole is obsessed with stars so they will part a star on cover in order to sell more copies.




EnglishDomNW -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 4:07:34 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: jesskitty
since we live in a capatilistic society, and money is important their probably going to want to sell their product. and to sell their product they are going to have to cater to their audience. i do not belive there trying to keep anyone in the dark, infact i think they are trying to sell the most newsweeks they can and they know america as a whole is obsessed with stars so they will part a star on cover in order to sell more copies.


I can understand this point but Europe is predominantly capitalist and I'm sure Newsweek hope to sell as many copies as they can here too.  I really don't believe sales were a contributory factor for not running the front page in the USA, I'd think it would be a view that Americans would be less interested in the story, or God forbid, Newsweek felt it was a little high brow for an American audience.  Now that would be pretty insulting.




missturbation -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/26/2006 4:58:49 PM)

Personally id rather read about angelina jolie but im an airhead who takes no interest in the news at all.I dont read the papers and i dont watch the news.It all bores the life out of me.




UtopianRanger -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/27/2006 2:51:14 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania

How did it happen that Americans became more interested in celebrities than other people in the world? Did that happen by accident? Perhaps we are just more flawed than other people?

Personally speaking I could give a rat's ass about celebrities and I do not like mixing them in my news. I like Angelina Jolie and think a  lot of what she is doing in the world, but it is sad that unless it is a celebrity like her or Bono or Sean Penn talking about these things we do not care.


Julia....

I think both you and Chaingang were correct with your original assessments.

During the summertime if I happen to work in the day time, I come in contact with perhaps a thousand people in fourteen-hour period. Some of them are the same people everyday, but many are transient.

I play with a lot of them..... pick their brains, push their buttons; just to see what they are thinking... I can honestly tell you that most all of them are concerned about jobs, Iraq, illegal immigration and gas prices - Very few of them give a shit what Rosie O'Donnel, Angelina Jolie or Tom Cruise thinks – That’s the media talking not the people.



 - R





juliaoceania -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/27/2006 8:08:23 AM)

That is my experience too Ranger, but, I have to say that I do not travel circles that people who watch American Idol do (not that there is anything wrong with being an American Idol watcher....lol)

In my political science class I had this professor that was older than Moses. He said that the average person in this country thought at a 12 year old level because most TV programming and news articles were written for this demographic as to get the largest share of viewers/readers. I tried to argue against his view at the time, but I have to wonder as I get older if this is not true.




Sub03 -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/27/2006 12:21:09 PM)

Face it americans are self centered. If it dosent directly affect us and our pursuit of what we think is happines then we dont care. News is depressing and makes us think of the real world and what is going on in it so we ignore it and live in our own little bubbles. Most americans would rather think of the new car they want, the new job that pays more, their plans for the weekend. We worry about gaining a few pounds and plastic surgery. That is our day to day to lifes and we like it that way. The war is happening in another country not here, so we ignore it. Facing it would mean that we would have to face reality and face the fact that there is alot more to life then money, possesions and our looks.




NastyDaddy -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/27/2006 12:58:35 PM)

NewsFlash:  CNN has interrupted the live Terrell Owens news conference to dispell rumors of his attempted suicide.... and switched to the Colorado high school hostage story... will return to the TO story as soon as the high school hostage story get's boring....

If we're lucky, we might get to see a high speed police chase and deja vu' back to the glory days of the shiny white Ford Bronco cruising the Cali freeways........    




toservez -> RE: Why The American Media Sucks: In Four Simple Pictures (9/27/2006 2:01:04 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sub03

Face it americans are self centered. If it dosent directly affect us and our pursuit of what we think is happines then we dont care. News is depressing and makes us think of the real world and what is going on in it so we ignore it and live in our own little bubbles. Most americans would rather think of the new car they want, the new job that pays more, their plans for the weekend. We worry about gaining a few pounds and plastic surgery. That is our day to day to lifes and we like it that way. The war is happening in another country not here, so we ignore it. Facing it would mean that we would have to face reality and face the fact that there is alot more to life then money, possesions and our looks.


I think all human beings are selfish and not just Americans, but I think Americans have been fortunate by geographics and the founding fathers and citizens that are selfish indulgence is more pronounced then other people. It is much easier to just focus on yourself when familty and friends have plenty of food and shelter so we do. Not the case in all countries. I can tell you people in a small village in China getting what we consider basic neccessities for the first time do not care or want to read about global warming.

I cannot blame the media in the dumbing down of America. People made the choice themselves to read USA Today instead of the Washington Post, they choose to get there political information from attack ads during Survivior instead of reading magazines and books. People prefer to have their information filtered by O'Reilly or Oberman instead of listening to the speeches and all the information themselves.




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