Tag: yellow journalism

Lost and Not in the Good Way

by eileentroemel, posted in Life

In general, I feel politics is a waste of time.  The normal person doesn’t have the power or the connection to make a difference in our political arena.  This doesn’t mean I don’t vote or voice my opinions.  It means most of the time I feel helpless.

The things is the politicians are supposed to be representing all the people.  I’m one of the geeks who has actually read the Declaration of Independence.  It is eloquent and strong.  It is inspired and treasonous.  Yet, if you read it, dissect the meaning from the old language, it reminds us of how our country came about.  “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Declaration of Independence

When do we as a people look at our governing body and say enough?  When do we look at how the legislatures – regardless of party – to see they have stopped governing and are simply doing the bidding of a few rich corporations and individuals?

It baffles me people can’t see, don’t know why we started this country and don’t see how we have strayed from how we were meant to be.  In the last seventy years, we’ve allowed certain factions to have more say than they should have in our government.

I’m not saying we should go back to the values and societal norms of the 1700s.  I’m saying we should look at the principles espoused by the founders of the country and really consider who is helping and moving us forward in a positive way for ALL the people, not just an elite few.

We’re returning to an era of Robber Barons – who are now the corporations.  We’re back to yellow journalism (yes I’m talking about Fox news but also the others who are owned by the corporations).  I want NEWS not some opinion espoused and filtered through corporate agendas.  I want facts so I can make my own determination about how I think on a topic.

Get out and vote.  Contact your representatives to tell them what you like and what you don’t like.  Become involved.  Pay attention to what is happening because otherwise rights will be lost and freedom will stop to exist.

Journalistic Integrity

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized

In our media these days we have a huge number of people calling themselves journalists.  However, I question their use of this title.  To me a journalist is someone who reports the information without bias, just giving details and information. 

Too often these days we see people commenting on the news rather than reporting it.  It very much reminds me of the era of yellow journalism which was back in the late 1800s.  Yellow journalism (for the non-history buffs) is the act of reporting from a biased point of view.

Most of our news people I think fall into this category.  They tell the story from the point of view they were hired to represent.  These reporters are not journalists.  They are commentators. 

I think it is sad that we have put so much importance on how someone looks on camera rather than on what they are reporting.  Honestly I don’t want someone to tell me their opinion.  I don’t want a news report to make me go do research.  I want it to inform me of the details so that I can form my own opinion.

Unfortunately now we are dealing with too many reporters not digging up stories because they are good stories.  We are getting reporters taking the facts and twisting them to fit their own biases.  I find this very patronizing and manipulative.  I just want the facts.  I’ll decide for myself the conclusion to draw from those facts.  Believe it or not I can think for myself.

Now we have stations on tv that spew out either all the Republican conservative rhetoric or the Democratic progressive viewpoint.  Of the two I think the worst is the Republicans at getting the information wrong but they are both guilty of it. 

The only stations I see giving a somewhat unbiased point of view are the public television shows (which I don’t watch often).  It seems like if you work for a particular network you only the point of view of that network instead of having an actual story based on facts.

Perhaps if our news outlets had some journalistic integrity, the American public could make better informed decisions.  It is a sad state of affairs when our media has slipped back into the practices of over a hundred years ago.