issues with modern news media

[aremisasling]

Okay, so I'm not one to bandwagon, but I feel the need to make a comment or two about the Virginia Tech massacre. But not the kind of comment you might think. I have a few major issues with the way this news has been covered

Comments

[bearr]

....try living in VA, somehow it is even worse. Luckily the BBC is one of the Google Live TV channels :)

[aremisasling]

yeah, I bet VA is covering nothing but this story. I'm sorry you've been subjected to that.

[seanorange]

Oh man...

I was listening to a lot of NPR yesterday, and a majority of their airtime was dedicated to this story. I only found out about the mayor of Nagasaki when they took a break at the half hour to report "other news". I mentioned over on my journal the irony that he was gunned down in a country that has banned firearms, when at the same time we have people over here discussing how less frequent violent killings are in countries with such laws.

Ah, the 'T' word. Once again on NPR (I don't remember which show), the host was the one who brought it up as an act of terrorism. One caller was very incensed by this, because "terrorism is used as a political statement". There was no political or religious statement here, and no larger group ever endorsed or took responsibility for the shooter's actions. Calling it terrorism IS incredibly irresponsible

[aremisasling]

I must have caught NPR on a good cycle. Anyhow, the BBC has been more generous with their coverage of other topics. This story was still their number one, but they had other things to talk about, as they ften do. They were my refuge during the Anna Nicole crap as well.

Meep

[seanorange]

NPR was doing alright this morning, but I just had to turn it off a minute ago because it's all "gun control gun control gun control". God, I have heard every opinion I cared to hear about yesterday -- I have no reason to continue that today.

I guess when I say that NPR was covering VA Tech, they were really spending a lot of time on these peripheral issues, which is good on one hand, but on the other... I just need to tune out for... a week...

~Sean

[zensojourner]

I've also been listening to right wing pundit's views on the story just to get the hysterical right version of events. They all circled the wagon on guns, one suggested the solution was to lock up all the homeless and mentally ill, another blamed liberal education for not kicking the guy to the curb, and another thought if everyone had guns the world would be safer. I mean after all your average redneck is so well trained there's no way we'd get an accidental shooting or say a circle of idiots shooting at the gunman and hitting each other and everyone else instead. Ah, the right wing nuts. Oh, and I'm glad not to hear anything else about Anna Nicole as well.