TV news hype
 

Does your local news sometimes blow stories all out of proportion to try and gain ratings? Are they just stupid? You know? Germs in your toilet bowl!! Things like that.

I don't see the news often, but I thought I'd try to keep track of what the hype is about currently.

On the stupid news side, there was the story about Mad Cow Disease tonight and Downer Cows. As I understand it, a downer cow is any cow that is sick or injured that is slaughtered because of its condition. A broken leg or the like. The film that accompanied the story was of a twitching, shaking cow. It was obviously unhealthy and gave the impression that -sick- cattle are being used for food. It seemed rather sensational to me.

Any examples in your area?

The thing that really gets my goat, is when the anchor says something about a news piece right before going to commercial break, then you hear nothing else about it for the rest of the news program. I guess the talked about it to each other while i was watching the stupid commercial telling me what channel i'm watching and that the news is on. I think the are just teasers to keep you from switching to something else.

I don't watch the local news, but on the few occasions when I've flipped past commercials for it, it's always some sensationalized tag like "Which common household items could be putting your family at risk of injury, or EVEN DEATH!!?!?" or "Eating out: what you don't know could kill you!" :rolleyes: Please. Obvious scare tactics to get you to watch some hyped up and rehashed nonsense about food safety or whatever.

Yes, local news is shite. I never watch it. My parents watch it all the time though, and whenever I am home from school, I cant help but laugh at the utterly insipid crap they foist upon their viewers.

Ha! My local news is full of carp, especially during "sweeps" week. Twice a year we get stories on "What is really going on in SOB's (Titty bars to you and me)" and "How the City is squandering your tax dollars". In addition to these week long special investigations which meat out little pieces of information at a time there are inumerable interviews with some shmoe who struggles with the english language to such an extent that the thirty second viewpoint expressed could be reduced to "I think it's bad". Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Here's a typical way the local news channels tease you to keep watching. A co-worker told me a story of how he used to work at a fast food restaurant. One time he found a diamond ring and returned it to its rightful owner. A local news crew came and interviewed him, so he decided to watch their broadcast. At the commercial break before his interview the news anchor said 'A diamond ring was found at a local restaurant, but was it returned to its rightful owner?' All during the commercials my friend was wondering if he had given the ring to the wrong person. When the article actually aired not one word was mentioned about the ring being given to the wrong person. :rolleyes:
IMHO, local news broadcasts are entertainment similar to a sitcom. Just not as interesting.

All news is pretty much retarded these days. I for one am tired of hearing "The world is going to explode, unless you do this one thing... and we'll tell you all about it at 11" I prefer to read my news on the net where I can choose the crap I want to injest into my brain.

There is a lot of crap out there. One thing I have found to be somewhat entertaining, tho not always informative, is the British and Australian news. Always a quick word or two about the American news and media and what they failed to report. Take CNN/BBC in equal amounts, throw in a legal library search as chaser, and the news can become quite interesting.

but then I thought that's what the news organizations were suppose to do.

perhaps the news should be about decent journalism and reporting information, instead of this attention whoring that is so rampant. but then how do you make money with that?

Thats pretty much how I feel about it. I hate it when they try the cliffhanger approach.

They need to create these sensational stories for the local news befcause it would be a tragedy if they filled the rest of their 30 minutes with GOOD news from around the area. :rolleyes:

How about just the fuckin' truth for a change.

Humanity not hype.

At least you have what sounds like worthwhile news, lately in New Zealand the news networks have been serving up some clangers, every day you are guareanteed to see one of the following stories:

a) Idiot unprepared (mostly tourist) hikers/climbers get surprised by a sudden change of weather on a desolate mountain slope and have to be rescued (with taxpayer dollars!).

b) A car crash on a perfectly straight peice of road, the Police blame it on alchohol/drugs/speed when the blatantly obvious cause is the unbelievable 3rd world state of New Zealand roads (potholes etc).

c) They keep on hammering that the number of people killed on New Zealand roads has been increasing. I have news for you: SO HAS THE POPULATION. Also since the roads have not been improved as such since sometime in the 1950s, the declining state of the roadways "might" also contribute.

Yeah, the news has been really irritating me lately.