I was told there would be no math!

The Math is a lie.

Link: Howard Finberg, of the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, said the public often doesn't understand that the sources they are accessing online such as Google News and Yahoo News pull stories from newspapers, television, wire services and other media sources.

Ding, ding, ding! It's funny how many people deride local newspapers while pointing to online stories - the vast majority of which are pulled from wire copy and local newspapers. (Full disclosure: I work for the second-largest newspaper in Alaska.)

Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

We do what we can, because we must.

Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

What about the cake?

42.

The media isn't particularly out of touch. People make their likes known through their dollars. And, well, the media is still making money. Remember folks, American Idol is still the central focus of many people's lives - don't misunderestimate the vapidity of the American public.

And-1: Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

We do what we can, because we must.

For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead.

Good touch or Bad touch?

Atvar: Full disclosure: I work for the second-largest newspaper in Alaska.)

That's like working for the 9th largest paper in Hoboken!!!

Atvar: Full disclosure: I work for the second-largest newspaper in Alaska.)

I am in Alaska and I read the daily paper. Worst thing that happened this week is some old man lost his car keys and some kid is looking for his dog.

/no really
// I am serious

Regarding a story a few days ago about The Economist; My loyal viewership to the first news channel that adopts a celebritard free news format. I'd rather watch breaking news about the potato farmers per-bushel market price negotiations.

sorry - my previous graphic was too small

70% of Americans also probably use the media primarily to learn about Britney's latest breakdown, and are unable to even name what hemisphere the US is located in.

WolfinPHX: 42.

Old, 47 is the new 42. Adjusted for inflation.

And-1: Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

We do what we can must, because we must can.

FTFY.

Now I know who Hall and Oates were talking to...

/probably obscure
//More Americans need to listen to Hall and Oates

Atvar: I work for the second-largest newspaper in Alaska

No one wants to read your farking Christmas letter just because you have a large family.

rindeee: Regarding a story a few days ago about The Economist; My loyal viewership to the first news channel that adopts a celebritard free news format. I'd rather watch breaking news about the potato farmers per-bushel market price negotiations.

This, rims, QFT, etc.

I'd rather hear about the intricacies of local Ukrainian politics than about what some non-person in California who has no bearing on my life did yesterday.

El_Dan: 70% of Americans also probably use the media primarily to learn about Britney's latest breakdown, and are unable to even name what hemisphere the US is located in.

Wouldn't blame the media for that as much as the education system.

Control over what is and isn't newsworthy is one major key in keeping citizens passive.

Out of touch? No shiat--the paper I work for ran a two-day extra-super-long feature last week on prescription drug overdoses, and the next day I found out that a friend of mine had been in the hospital for a week.

The reason? Apparently an overdose on Nyquil, which shut down a couple of organs.

C'mon, reporters. Get with the program. Prescriptions are so passe--OTC is the new rage!

/I'm behind the Times

El_Dan: 70% of Americans also probably use the media primarily to learn about Britney's latest breakdown, and are unable to even name what hemisphere the US is located in.

If we had maps we would know where the Iraq is. And the US, too!

@Dusty911 Hall and Oates suck green donkey dicks

/that is all

I worked at an airport for about 13 years and bumped into reporters all the time, from local stories to following every major and minor political candidate for office over that period of time.

Then I worked closely with the absolute top names in news and business news (yeah, all of the ones you're thinking of).

My take is that it's closer to 85-90% of the media is out of touch. And if you talk only about the managers/leaders of those media outlets, it's more like 99.99% out of touch.

Mighty Tighty Whitey: And-1: Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

We do what we must, because we can.

For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead.

But there's no sense crying over every mistake,
You just keep on trying til you run out of cake.

Mighty Tighty Whitey: And-1: Booklegger: The Math is a lie.

We do what we can, because we must.

For the good of all of us
Except the ones who are dead.

The fabrication gets done
and you become the new Sun

TheCid:

For the people who are still aliiiive...

betona

My take is that it's closer to 85-90% of the media is out of touch. And if you talk only about the managers/leaders of those media outlets, it's more like 99.99% out of touch.

I can't figure out of they're collectively that stupid, figure they're pandering to the masses, or have been paid off. But they are clearly absolutely clueless. The Brits and the Europeans think-even though they like us as people-that we have gone collectively bonkers-and all attribute it to our press coverage.

Which is funny, because the news only responds to what the audience wants. No one is particularly happy about what is covered now, but since the audience is pretty farking retarded, there's no choice. This is not a new phenomena; the public has always said one thing about the media while responding another way. "I don't think the news covers enough important issues." *tunes in* "Brittney, Brittney! Where's Brittney?"

Either practice what you preach, or shut the fark up.

El_Dan: 70% of Americans also probably use the media primarily to learn about Britney's latest breakdown, and are unable to even name what hemisphere the US is located in.

Oooo. Can I guess? Is it the Western? or maybe the Northern?

stazz: El_Dan: 70% of Americans also probably use the media primarily to learn about Britney's latest breakdown, and are unable to even name what hemisphere the US is located in.

Oooo. Can I guess? Is it the Western? or maybe the Northern?

Dumbass. It's the Country-Western.

Reuters reports that 70% of Americans believe the media is out of touch which means the number is probably short by 30% or something

FTFY

Person: Which is funny, because the news only responds to what the audience wants. No one is particularly happy about what is covered now, but since the audience is pretty farking retarded, there's no choice. This is not a new phenomena; the public has always said one thing about the media while responding another way. "I don't think the news covers enough important issues." *tunes in* "Brittney, Brittney! Where's Brittney?"

Either practice what you preach, or shut the fark up.

We have a winner. It's kind of like negative campaigning, everyone says they hate it when politicians do it, but it WORKS when politicians do it. If we don't like how trivial news has become then first complain and then quit watching. News is just another form of entertainment, this is why everyone cares about a news programs ratings and not its factual content or relevancy. Papers, radio and intertubes all want to make money off of news, and therefore they will push what sells.

This is about the same percentage of people who couldn't name the three top candidates still running for president.

People want to blame the media because they're either too stupid or too lazy to follow legitimate current events (not the current status of the Britney/Lindsay/whoever train wreck).

I'll admit that the 24-hour news networks are kind of obnoxious, but they're not the only place to get news. People get this idea, mostly from politicians pissed about having negative stories written about them, that "the media" is made of New York intellectuals, sitting around, trying to think of ways to trick people and make them feel dumb.

That's bullshiat. Most of the reporters I know are just normal assholes that cover government, business and other current events. If you'd rather watch an American Idol recap than find out what your local, state or federal government are spending your taxes on, don't blame the media for being out of touch.

Person: Which is funny, because the news only responds to what the audience wants. No one is particularly happy about what is covered now, but since the audience is pretty farking retarded, there's no choice.

My kids want chocolate & ice-cream for dinner but it's my job to make the green beans appealing to them.

If the old press can't make important new items interesting and revalent then they're in the wrong profession.

i don't know how people get the idea that the MSM are out of touch, since people get their news from the media. it's like a feedback loop that's gone all wonky.

I love how, in stories like this, "the media" is presented like some monolithic force from above. The web never seems to be included in the media, yet everyone I know is getting more and more of their media from the web, like TFA says.

So print newspapers, media. Boom.
Radio, media, boom.
TV, media, boom.
Movies...well, a little. You may pass. Boom.

Internet. What did you do again, remind me...Oh, you provide all the forms of media we already have, sometimes from those same sources, PLUS expanded "grassroots media".

Um. Well, this is awkward.

Not media. NOT MEDIA. No. Not yours. Sorry, I don't write the rules, I just make 'em up.

I guess my point is that "media" is a word that's supposed to simply mean "A delivery method for information". That's not what The Media™ has come to mean.

We need an entirely new word for The Media™.... I suggest CorporateSuckage™.

FTA: Howard Finberg, of the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, said the public often doesn't understand that the sources they are accessing online such as Google News and Yahoo News pull stories from newspapers, television, wire services and other media sources.

Tells you how out of touch this guy is. People understand that the stories on Google and Yahoo pull from the same sources. They also understand that search and link capabilities of online media make it much easier to find and read stories when you have a few spare minutes, and that all media outlets have an editorial bias so it's important to read from a variety of outlets to get both sides of the story.

This is the most refreshing news I read all week.

Of course I get my news from the internet. I'm on FARK.

You know, I personally believe 100% of the public is out of touch.

//Full disclosure, I'm a member of the public

I have a question for those who follow the news closely and demand quality reporting from the media, etc.

My question is... why? What do you get out of it? I generally followed the news for the past few years... I can't say I was fully educated on every major issue in the world, but I would go to CNN.com most days and check out the major stories. I guess my reason for this was partly for the entertainment of reading, and partly because I vaguely felt like I have some responsibility to be an informed person, or something like that.

But the news is little more than a collection of the most negative things that are happening in the world. It's nothing but an endless stream of people blowing themselves up, people starving, the economy having problems, the neverending war in Iraq, global climate change and the real effects we are seeing from it.

It's always very depressing, and it makes me feel like the world is going to hell and there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's a curious feeling, thinking that for the first time in history it's possible (if not likely) that the quality of life will start to fall due to the effects of overpopulation, pollution, and from America's position in the world economy becoming weaker than before.

Recently, I have stopped reading the news and actually try to avoid it if I can. I'm sorry if I sound like an incredibly ignorant idiot who is the reason America sucks and all of that. But I just don't see the reason to put myself through the chore of reading the news.

It makes me feel bad, I get no real benefits from it, and I can't do anything about it. The negatives outweigh the positives. Why is it important to be informed, when the information can't be used to change anything? Why is it wrong to just stick to watching Survivor and American Idol?

The media is so full of shiat that if they are reporting 70% it's more like 90%. They can't even report honestly abot their own business.

/farking retards.
//would not save any of them. DIAF

chocoboat

That's because the media is nothing but a fear machine. Good, happy stories dont sell or get the coverage. They dont care if anything good ever happens.

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo: Control over what is and isn't newsworthy is one major key in keeping citizens passive.

This, this, this and a thousand times this. Compare what you read or see or hear in the corporate news services with what you experience in foreign presses and services, or even NPR sometimes (they have been increasingl compromised over the last several years).

I can't watch TV news and stopped about 5 years ago. I find I am better informed about most issues than probably 90% of the people I speak with on a weekly basis. Most of them subscribe to bumper sticker thinking and have such a poor command of the facts, that I just avoid any discussion of current events.

meintx2001: chocoboat

That's because the media is nothing but a fear machine. Good, happy stories dont sell or get the coverage. They dont care if anything good ever happens.

That is because fear and anxiety increase consumer spending. So, it ultimately is all about separating you from your personal resources to feed their profits, and it is done in very slimy ways.