How well does the American news media reflect actual events?

Question

Ever seen a protest in person and then watched the coverage on the news later?

How about other examples where the media either covered something totally fairly or with complete bias?

Also, does the media favor a particular ideology? If so which one?

Answer 1

Once upon a time I heard the drive-by media referred to as vultures . Since that time ,have seen various events covered , in what I can only describe as vulture mentality . I have , as you ask, seen several protests on the evening news portrayed as tho they are talking about something in another world-after viewing it with my own eyes-knowing the "report" was fabricated & exaggerated , time after time .If anyone is misfortunate enough to answer media questions , you are likely to be misquoted unless it is on camera-and even then -it's likely to be taken out of context , for the sake of the story . "The story" is often whatever they want it to be . In fairness , I admit I have seen a few dignitary funerals reported without total bias .. I'm hearing more and more examples of people limiting their exposure to the news these days , since deception in broadcasting seems to be catching on with the "best" of them. As far as the Iraq War goes-there is so much biased "reporting" that I quit watching 99% of it ". Our military in Iraq comment frequently on the good that is being done for the Iraqi people since Saddam craweld out of the ground .What do we see come from our drive-by media ? Nothing but concern & pity for those who are shooting at our troops. I noticed , though , two recent kidnapped personalities were released not long after their capture . While I applaud the fact that these men are now safe-I also find the irony in their swift release . I believe even the enemy knows whose side most of the media is on .

Answer 2

Not since the days of the Washington Post's 'Watergate' expose has the "fourth estate" effectively done its job as watch dog over what the government does.
Today's conservative-biased media is run by bean-counters who put profits before accuracy, completeness, honesty, integrity and in-dept investigation. They simply read, verbatim, the government press releases without questioning the veracity of such 'news' or looking into the story to see if it's correct.
The government and the media are sleazy partners in crime these days, brainwashing gullible 'dittohead' Americans into believing the standard government-issued statements without allowing any room for discussion, dispute, or skepticism. Just as the Nazis did in Germany 65 years ago, government news and information is passed out as "gospel" without regard to truth, justice or honor. Whatever the feds want us to hear, the media blabbers. Had that been the case in the 1970's, we would have never learned about the skulduggery of the Nixon administration. Journalism and media today rarely reports actual events with accuracy or complete comprehension. They simply take news releases, add some graphics, and 'report' whatever government or big business wants us to hear, no questions asked. -RKO-

Answer 3

In the US, the media traditionally has put a liberal spin on things (though some are better than others at putting little or no spin at all, and from time to time a Conservative spin slips through). There is way too much sensationalism in the better part of today's media regardless. If you know how to read between the lines though, you can get a pretty good picture of actual events.

Answer 4

Of course there is a strong bias in our media. How do you think we got so ignorant? AND a we lost a major newscaster b/c he MAY have misreported some fact about Bush's service record. Guy was canned!!!!! Some of us, however, do not depend on the check out lane of the supermarket for our education, some of us actually suspect something stinks. Land of the Free indeed. PULEEESSSE! Peace.

Answer 5

With the onset of 24-hour cable news, things have gotten pretty ugly. It's not that there isn't enough news, it's that they insist on focusing on three things and replaying them in 10-second, MTV-style, no-attention-span clips for hours at a time. There is no depth or critical thinking involved. It is propoganda (except for C-Span, which just trains the camera on Congress all day.)
FOX News and talk radio are so viciously and obviously right-wing that Bush could shoot Cheney during a pheasant hunt and they'd spin it into how that helped us defeat a terrorist plot in England.
It reflects actual events badly.

Answer 6

The news media can't included everything at once.
That's inpossible. They do try and cover the most important aspects of the event. You must remember
that everyone has their own take on the event, their
own spin. then of course the editors have the final
say on what gets aired.

Answer 7

Take a look at who OWNS a particular media
company and then look at the SPIN that outfit
puts on their news reports. It will be obvious
that they do indeed spin the news to fit their agendas.

Answer 8

not very well

sometimes they report stuff that is big news but don't have all the details there n a hurry 2 get it on air without facts, but that is why it is news right

Answer 9

The news you see depends on the station you watch. CNN never has anything good to say. So very negative.

Answer 10

It doesn't... just look at the constant 'news' stories about nine eleven for the past 5 years.