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Public Opinion - The Most Powerful Force In The World

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Public Opinion is said by many to be the most powerful force in the world and the only thing that makes Politicians get up and do something.

But how much do you think of public opinion is false or simply managed by the Politicians.

Would you say the Media do a good job in fair reporting?

Do they show all sides involved or are they heavily biased?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Perhaps you missed this frightening little nugget i posted in another thread.

    http://www.sierratimes.com/03/02/28/arpubmg022803.htm

    There's no question news is managed. Admissions to that fact have come from reporters themselves. There are even internet agencies and groups devoted to pointing out all the spin and massaging of the truth.


    http://www.mediamonitors.net/aboutmmn.html

    http://www.inquisitoronline.com/index.html

    An insightful editorial I read a while back on the capriciousness of corporate media is here...

    http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/media/2003/03makingup.htm
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I certainly thought it was interesting to watch CNN and Fox News during the Iraq War and compare it to the UK Stations like the BBC News 24 and ITV News .. there definitely was a lot of bias in the US stations to the US point of view.

    It seems like the internet will be the only free voice in the world.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Of course they're biased.

    To be honest I don't get why people go on and on about The Sun and the likes, cause you'd see that the Guardian is just as biased towards it's own interests as these. B the difference lies in the fact that they have another aiminggroup, other interests, and use proper language and go more in depth.

    Same can be seen here. You clearly see in the leading proper papers where they belong in the political scale. While it's pretty uncertain with the tabloids, as one day they're on about poor refugee kids, and the next they're speaking against cultural customs, which really have no relevance for integration.

    The same can be said for news stations. While Fox shouldn't be taken to consideration as they're just as valid as the tabloids, you will still see with the respectable shows that the editing behind, and the way the wording is presented makes a huge difference. The tone of music is enough to get a more dramatic effect. Using extreme words instead of good, then great also adds to this.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Public opinion is quite easily created by a couple of scare stories in a newspaper or on TV. Look at The Sun and The Mail with their incessant complaining about immigration, or indeed look at the BBC with the Gilligan stories about "sexed-up" dossiers.

    There are many news sources which are free from bias, or, more accurately, biased against/towards everyone, like Private Eye is. But you have to look for them, people take what they see or read at face value, and do not seek to question it. Even those who question some things will still believe things that they want to hear- even if two reports about, say, Iraq, were both completely accurate, many people on here would believe the anti-war article ahead of the pro-war article.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Public Opinion - The Most Powerful Force In The World

    no ...america is the most powerful force the world has ever seen.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    Public opinion is quite easily created by a couple of scare stories in a newspaper or on TV. Look at The Sun and The Mail with their incessant complaining about immigration, or indeed look at the BBC with the Gilligan stories about "sexed-up" dossiers.

    There are many news sources which are free from bias, or, more accurately, biased against/towards everyone, like Private Eye is. But you have to look for them, people take what they see or read at face value, and do not seek to question it. Even those who question some things will still believe things that they want to hear- even if two reports about, say, Iraq, were both completely accurate, many people on here would believe the anti-war article ahead of the pro-war article.



    The story I think that illustrates the power of the media was the ones avout dangerous dogs, the ones that the media picked up on that lead to swift laws to muzzle or put down certain dogs.

    I'm sure dogs were biting people for centuries before that but all it took was newspapers and TV to pick up on the story and the whole thing snowballed until they made it a new law.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Public opinion is created by the media.
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