The 24 news networks destroyed news as a whole. Before there was time to fact check and to make sure it was done in the proper manner. Now its all about being the first to report something with the facts just getting in the way. More viewers = higher advertising rates = higher profit. I guess in the end society is at fault for the impatient creatures we have become in the information age.
Tom Brady & Donald Trump, BFF's Fuckus rules all Rob Seattle
I have worked in broadcast TV for 25 years (never in news though) and as cynical as I have become about the entertainment business, I am surprised by this reaction to a story that allegedly happened 12 years ago.
First of all hardly anyone watches the network news anymore, unless some crisis is going and even then viewership is fleeting. I think the #'s are around 4-5 million viewers nightly each which is only 12-14 million viewers. About 4% of U.S. population.
Second NBC is the top rated news so I think some "gotcha journalism" is going on.
Third, other posters mention the Lara Logan and Dan Rather episodes. Both of those incidents truly reflected flawed decisions that besmirched their employers reputations. I usually watch NBC news and had never heard about Brian Williams "heroic story" before so I never thought his reputation relied on this helicopter shoot down.
Lastly I believe the notion of "trusted newsman" is bullshit these days and from a by gone era that ended long ago.
All the networks and cable news outlets are owned by 4 corporations Viacom, News Corp, Disney, and NBC/Comcast and all suck from the corporation teet. You want real news watch BBC or Al Jezeera America
I don't know why a comparison is needed. That's like my saying "well, all my friends did it!". Valiant attempt at justification but in the end, I fucked up.
That's the beauty of integrity - it stands on its own.
And...I'm not outraged, I'm holding this person to the same standards I expect of anyone - whether someone well-known or not.
Yeah. No pitchforks and torches here. He fucked up. He'll own it. Let the talk show hosts have their fun. Next week this will be old news. Unless I misremember it. (sorry, had to )
I'm merely pointing out the clear difference in how people view Fox News compared with NBC. They're both liars, but one is quite well known for its lying and it's not only publicly accepted but that they are considered to be #1.
I'm merely pointing out the clear difference in how people view Fox News compared with NBC. They're both liars, but one is quite well known for its lying and it's not only publicly accepted but that they are considered to be #1.
As mentioned, I really like Brian Williams, but I think there is a huge difference between cable and network news.
I'm merely pointing out the clear difference in how people view Fox News compared with NBC. They're both liars, but one is quite well known for its lying and it's not only publicly accepted but that they are considered to be #1.
As mentioned, I really like Brian Williams, but I think there is a huge difference between cable and network news.
No, there's not. With the birth of cable news, news just became even more an entertainment outlet, more corporate ownership, less public service. Have you seen Anchorman 2? As dumb as it was, it did show what happened to the news in general. It's all phony.
If you really want to read up (and I suggest everyone do this), here's some good links about our mainstream media. All of the media in the U.S. is owned by 6 corporations. They dictate what we hear. Finding reliable info defacing mainstream media is difficult because the media wants to keep the truth away from the public. But it is out there. http://www.globalissues.org/article/532/media-manipulation#BenefitsforBroadcaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsglbfZLc_0
This is a short from the documentary "The Corporation", a film everyone should see which examines modern-day corporations, featuring interviews with corporate critics such as Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Howard Zinn. This shows 2 journalists fired from Fox News years ago for not agreeing to censor their report to comply with Monsanto's lawyers.
This is your government working and these are your news people that you believe without question or thought. Their hands are tied. They are forced to lie or they get fired. All of them, unless they are independent or international stations.
State Propaganda: How Government Agencies Produce Hundreds of Pre-Packaged TV Segments the Media Runs as News http://www.democracynow.org/2005/3/14/state_propaganda_how_government_agencies_produce
According to a major expose in The New York Times, federal agencies under the Bush administration–from the State Department to Agriculture to the Transportation Security Administration–have been producing hundreds of pre-packaged TV segments that have been broadcast on local stations as real news. (Yes, it's OLD news, it's been going on for years)
The article reports that at least 20 federal agencies–including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau–have distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years. Many were then broadcast on local stations without crediting the government as the source of the information.
The article goes on to state that "the administration’s efforts to generate positive news coverage have been considerably more pervasive than previously known. At the same time, records and interviews suggest widespread complicity or negligence by television stations." Later the article says that "some reports were produced to support the administration’s most cherished policy objectives like regime change in Iraq and Medicare reform...They often feature quote, unquote "interviews" with senior administration officials in which questions are scripted and answers rehearsed. Critics are excluded as are any hints of controversy, waste or mismanagement."
As to BW...so he outright lied, "misremembered", or is a poor little puppet?
People can refuse to have strings attached to their mouths, limbs and eyes. If it all is such a big conspiracy, then I don't have much sympathy for those who go along with it, perpetuate it, and speak it as if truth.
Forced to lie or get fired...hmmm, not a tough decision to make. This lowly chick would choose the latter if I want to face myself every day.
And, if not a marionette, then hold yourself accountable for your words and actions. People in the public eye are not absolved of this.
I don't have sympathy for BW, he chose to stay in a corrupt field. It's all his, but there's no doubt in my mind that NBC bosses told him to dramatize his stories. Or get fired. That's just how it is.
And personally, I'm with you hedonist. My conscience would not handle working in a field where I was forced to compromise my values.
I don't have sympathy for BW, he chose to stay in a corrupt field. It's all his, but there's no doubt in my mind that NBC bosses told him to dramatize his stories. Or get fired. That's just how it is.
I am not quite that cynical to think that BW was told or ordered to embellish his story by his bosses or the corporation
I wonder though how many people who are outraged by Brian W. will vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 even though she was also caught lying about landing in Kosovo with bullets flying at her.
Seems like a presidential candidate is more important than a new anchor
It has nothing to do with cynicism. It has to do with knowing exactly what the media is doing and not blindly trusting everything you see and hear. WAKE UP people. Do you own research if you like, but don't assume anything. That video posted above from The Corporation? Start There. Straight out of the mouths of former journalists.
Comments
Fuckus rules all
Rob
Seattle
First of all hardly anyone watches the network news anymore, unless some crisis is going and even then viewership is fleeting. I think the #'s are around 4-5 million viewers nightly each which is only 12-14 million viewers. About 4% of U.S. population.
Second NBC is the top rated news so I think some "gotcha journalism" is going on.
Third, other posters mention the Lara Logan and Dan Rather episodes. Both of those incidents truly reflected flawed decisions that besmirched their employers reputations. I usually watch NBC news and had never heard about Brian Williams "heroic story" before so I never thought his reputation relied on this helicopter shoot down.
Lastly I believe the notion of "trusted newsman" is bullshit these days and from a by gone era that ended long ago.
All the networks and cable news outlets are owned by 4 corporations Viacom, News Corp, Disney, and NBC/Comcast and all suck from the corporation teet. You want real news watch BBC or Al Jezeera America
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com
I hope they don't. Thought this was good though
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/maureen-dowd-anchors-aweigh.html?ref=opinion
Exactly! Thats why I feel this whole "outrage" seems so arbitrary.
I guess the public holds NBC/Brian Williams to a higher standard of "integrity"
That's the beauty of integrity - it stands on its own.
And...I'm not outraged, I'm holding this person to the same standards I expect of anyone - whether someone well-known or not.
As mentioned, I really like Brian Williams, but I think there is a huge difference between cable and network news.
No, there's not. With the birth of cable news, news just became even more an entertainment outlet, more corporate ownership, less public service. Have you seen Anchorman 2? As dumb as it was, it did show what happened to the news in general. It's all phony.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/532/media-manipulation#BenefitsforBroadcaster
http://www.trueactivist.com/exposed-governments-pay-news-networks-to-fake-stories-all-the-time/
This is a short from the documentary "The Corporation", a film everyone should see which examines modern-day corporations, featuring interviews with corporate critics such as Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Howard Zinn. This shows 2 journalists fired from Fox News years ago for not agreeing to censor their report to comply with Monsanto's lawyers.
http://www.democracynow.org/2005/3/14/state_propaganda_how_government_agencies_produce
According to a major expose in The New York Times, federal agencies under the Bush administration–from the State Department to Agriculture to the Transportation Security Administration–have been producing hundreds of pre-packaged TV segments that have been broadcast on local stations as real news. (Yes, it's OLD news, it's been going on for years)
As to BW...so he outright lied, "misremembered", or is a poor little puppet?
People can refuse to have strings attached to their mouths, limbs and eyes. If it all is such a big conspiracy, then I don't have much sympathy for those who go along with it, perpetuate it, and speak it as if truth.
Forced to lie or get fired...hmmm, not a tough decision to make. This lowly chick would choose the latter if I want to face myself every day.
And, if not a marionette, then hold yourself accountable for your words and actions. People in the public eye are not absolved of this.
Believing nothing blindly comes from weighing all options. Did you check out Goodman's 20 min. video and read the links?
And personally, I'm with you hedonist. My conscience would not handle working in a field where I was forced to compromise my values.
I am not quite that cynical to think that BW was told or ordered to embellish his story by his bosses or the corporation
I wonder though how many people who are outraged by Brian W. will vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 even though she was also caught lying about landing in Kosovo with bullets flying at her.
Seems like a presidential candidate is more important than a new anchor
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/business/media/brian-williams-suspended-by-nbc-news-for-six-months.html?_r=0
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2015/2/10/its_not_just_brian_williams_inside