Media LOVES Disaster!

[IRescue452]

That's funny, I'm sorry I missed it.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I couldn't agree with you more Christa. I can hardly stand to watch the news anymore just for this reason. It's turned into a theatrical drama more than just standard information to keep us up to date on latest happenings. Being a little older than most here at PT, I remember back to the newscasts of years ago. They were simply reporting the news and nothing else. Today, most reporters thrive on other people's misery and hardship. They figure, the more graphic and personal they can get, the more people will tune in to their station. It's turned into a drama stage with actors as players. It's so sad to think that so many of those people, that are exposed on national television, could probably have gone the rest of their lives without seeing that horrible incident they had to endure. Not to mention that everybody and their brothers and sisters watched it too. I am personally sick and tired of the media reporting stories and embellishing many details before knowing all the facts. How do they get away with this all the time? How do they avoid lawsuits? I just wish someone could stop it before it goes any further. I'm ecstatic that you mentioned this because it's something that needed to be addressed a long time ago.
Terry

[christa]

I've been watching the "forecast" for Tropical Storm Wilma this morning.

I just wanna see . . . if it doesn't make landfall on the Gulf Coast as a Category 5 . . .

They'll all be so disappointed.

[jackie]

a woman frantically paddling a canoe, like she was fighting for her life . . . talking about how horrible the conditions were . . . after a few seconds of their mindless babble, a few national guardsmen WALKED BY the cameras, in front of the woman . . . the water wasn't even over their boots.

Haha, thats pretty funny. It makes me wonder what else they embellish to keep people tuned in.

[jackie]

Haha, thats pretty funny. It makes me wonder what else they embellish to keep people tuned in.

^ Just for the record, I was agreeing that the media loves disaster.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Is it the news media or are the media giving us what we want....

I agree that the media (especially tv) go for the extreme, the gruesome. But that is what sells. When there is an auto accident.....people gather round to gawk.

And it isn't anything new. When I was 10 my older sister was in a horrible auto accident. There was a photo in the newspaper the next day. There she is...15 years old....on a stretcher....covered in blood from a head injury and in terrible pain from a broken back and pelvis...and there is a woman standing over her looking at her. With her is a little girl with long blonde pig tails...also looking at her. Paramedics are there. There is no reason for that woman and child to be there -- except to "see".

And as there are more and more choices in televised news...they need to give the viewers whatever will keep them coming back to watch. So which is the horse and which is the cart?

[Kfamr]

I've been watching the "forecast" for Tropical Storm Wilma this morning.

I just wanna see . . . if it doesn't make landfall on the Gulf Coast as a Category 5 . . .

They'll all be so disappointed.

I surely won't! She's supposed to be heading my way.

[christa]

I surely won't! She's supposed to be heading my way.

Well, I hope & pray that for you & Florida, it won't be as bad as they're already making it out to be.

I want to make clear, I'm not trying to make light of the hurricanes or any disasters . . . it just kills me that these news networks thrive on this stuff.

[RICHARD]

Case in point?

The Holloway/Aruba Mystery.

Every night of the week it's Beth Holloway Twitty on the tube..
When the networks left Aruba for Hurricane Katrina, BHT broke her promise to
"Stay in Aruba until I find out what happened to Natalie..."

It's a small wonder that she got no cooperation from the Aruban authorities.

The media made a HUGE stink about this gal's disappearance...they followed the mom all over the island....that just bred the contempt the locals had for this woman and her daughter.

Hey, Natalie is missing, but chose to ignore the guy that got his arse tossed overboard on his honeymoon??

-----------------------------------------

The most troubling part about all the murders and disaster stories is that the media chooses the most photogenic, good looking people to profile and should you happen to be poor, ugly or ?????

FORGET IT!

[Edwina's Secretary]

So.....why do you watch these programs if they offend you? Why don't you turn off the tv?