Day 298 -- thinking and doing laundry

Another Saturday almost over. The highlight at the house seemed to be laundry loads done between prep for next lectures and cooking to restock the freezer. It is enviable, isn't it? <grin>  During the day my mind wandered to recent discussions of news media during crises. It fits with much of my research focus, that viewers need to understand what news media can and cannot provide us during emergency situations -- maybe some truth, but mostly a lot of conjecture.

Why does this pass as news? While there are journalists that want to provide facts, there is pressure from the company to keep viewers watching 'us' and not switch over to 'them.' In short, it is all about ratings, which really means its all about money. Whether the news is on TV, online, or newspapers, the bottom line still comes down to money. Without making ends meet, the news will not be produced by any company large or small. There seems to be a belief that the news will be all true -- like the old TV show, "just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts."  The choice of stories and how these are slanted comes from the producer and owners and generally fits well with their personal ideologies. I think it was Conrad Black who in answer to a question of whether the newspapers he'd just purchased would change their political slant to better fit his right of centre views, said, "Why else would you own a newspaper?"  So, as viewers or readers, it is up to us to understand what is and what isn't true and what spin might be placed on the truth -- we need to be more media literate rather than accepting of everything that we hear.

I will admit to laughing out loud when this song came to mind. It fit so much of my thoughts and actions today. I found a video that should also bring a smile. The lyrics are cynical, and closer to the truth than we may wish them to be. Enjoy!

Dirty Laundry -- Don Henley