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Thread: Reporting News or Creating News ?

  1. #1
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Reporting News or Creating News ?

    from


    (snip)"NBC told this blog today that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC:

    “We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.”

    Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call:

    Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

    Here’s how the actual conversation went down:

    Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

    Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

    Zimmerman: He looks black.

    The difference between what “Today” put on its air and the actual tape? Complete: In the “Today” version, Zimmerman volunteered that this person “looks black,” a sequence of events that would more readily paint Zimmerman as a racial profiler. In reality’s version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police. Nothing prejudicial at all in responding to such an inquiry.

    In an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, called this elision on the part of ”Today” an “all-out falsehood” — not just a distortion or misrepresentation.

    And it’s a falsehood with repercussions. Much of the public discussion over the past week has settled on how conflicting facts and interpretations call into question whether Zimmerman acted justifiably or criminally. That’s a process that’ll continue. But one set of facts in the is ironclad, and that’s the back-and-forth between Zimmerman and the dispatcher. To portray that exchange in a way that wrongs Zimmerman is high editorial malpractice well worthy of the investigation that NBC is now mounting."(snip)

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    I have no idea what really happened that night, but the handling of the issue by the media has truly been appalling-from editing the calls, to photoshopping photos-it's really astonishing.

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    Yes the slant on this story really bothers me. Yes it was wrong he got shot and yes maybe it was because he was black, but maybe, just maybe he got shot because he was in the wrong. I was someone who believed that this kid was a victim and the shooter Zimmerman was wrong but the more I hear the more I wonder if I was wrong.

    Having worked in the media I will tell the dirty truth that I'm sure both of you know and that is the media slants stories to fit a specific agenda, depending on the issue.

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    It's lousy journalism, but television news isn't about journalism, it's about ratings and exclusives.

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    Should still be held liable for what they broadcast. The definitions of Libel and Slander still apply.

    Then again we would not have Nancy Grace or the TMZ now either.

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    God/dess Zofia's Avatar
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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    This how the Duke Lacrosse fiasco started in the media and look how that turned out.

    Z

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    One of the many things I find interesting is that the picture that's plastered over most newspapers, magazines, and website news stories about this is that they use a photo of Martin that is many years younger than he actually is.

    Here's an article with some examples of what's going on with that case, photo-wise:
    http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/t...ee-the-others/

    News outlets, for the most part, have chosen to go with a picture of Martin when he was 13-14 rather than a picture of him in a hoodie taken while 17. It's not that newspapers only had access to a very old picture-- they had both-- they made a choice in order to skew towards a really innocent-looking victim to make "better", more sensational press.
    Ungoogle yourself:


    Also, now offering phone sexins!

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    Default Re: Reporting News or Creating News ?

    Just like they used the mug shot of Zimmerman from years ago, rather than the much more recent photo of him in a suit smiling, looking much lighter. The big fat racist thug photo was a much better sell.

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