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Rare in reality, prominent in the news

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Article.

Why is it every time some nutjob looses his last screw, killing his family or others, then self about once a month it receives headline attention as if that's what always happens when a human picks up a firearm. They always fail to mention the other 20 million times U.S. humans handle a firearm each and every day without incident.

That's a ratio of 600 Million to 1. Why is it the news agencies focus only on the 0.000000167 % and ignore the other 99.99999983%?
 

Dreamer

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
5,360
Location
Grennsboro NC
Because:

1) blood sells. Newpaper ink is (figureatively) made from the distilled blood of innocent victims, and the public has been turned into voyeuristic ghouls through years of "yellow journalism", and

2) The people who own newspapers aren't interested in the truth. They are interested in mentally, politically, and eventually PHYSICALLY enslaving the population of the planet. The best way to do that is to keep them stupid, frightened, and disarmed and helpless...

Create the Problem.
Offer the "Solution".
Enslave the people by offering them "security" in trade for "liberty"...
Wash, rinse, repeat...
 

SouthernBoy

Regular Member
Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
5,837
Location
Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
Article.

Why is it every time some nutjob looses his last screw, killing his family or others, then self about once a month it receives headline attention as if that's what always happens when a human picks up a firearm. They always fail to mention the other 20 million times U.S. humans handle a firearm each and every day without incident.

That's a ratio of 600 Million to 1. Why is it the news agencies focus only on the 0.000000167 % and ignore the other 99.99999983%?

Because it serves their interests and agenda. To do otherwise would seriously dilute their position and that of their lackeys... of which they are one.
 

sudden valley gunner

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Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
Because it serves their interests and agenda. To do otherwise would seriously dilute their position and that of their lackeys... of which they are one.

Johan Stossel does a very good break down of that very thought in his book,

Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media

Being a news man he is very honest about how he has even done these things in the past. How Newsman, Lawyers and politicians pretty much work hand in hand in Major headlines..lawsuits...and then legislation.

I recommend this book it is a very easy read, well written and in very plain common English. Many things people take for granted as truth are just plain wrong.
 

SouthernBoy

Regular Member
Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
5,837
Location
Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
Johan Stossel does a very good break down of that very thought in his book,

Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media

Being a news man he is very honest about how he has even done these things in the past. How Newsman, Lawyers and politicians pretty much work hand in hand in Major headlines..lawsuits...and then legislation.

I recommend this book it is a very easy read, well written and in very plain common English. Many things people take for granted as truth are just plain wrong.

I've read both of his books and not only enjoyed the simple truth and honesty but the exposing of the left-leaning media was refreshing (Bernie Goldberg has done this as well). It is no surprise to anyone that the overwhelming majority of the media and the entertainment industry is well to the left in their socio-political views.
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
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Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
I've read both of his books and not only enjoyed the simple truth and honesty but the exposing of the left-leaning media was refreshing (Bernie Goldberg has done this as well). It is no surprise to anyone that the overwhelming majority of the media and the entertainment industry is well to the left in their socio-political views.

I got them at Goodwill for a buck each and read them back to back, you are absolutely right about them. I saw Bernie's book there the other day I'll have to check that one out too.
 

SouthernBoy

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Messages
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Western Prince William County, Virginia, USA
I got them at Goodwill for a buck each and read them back to back, you are absolutely right about them. I saw Bernie's book there the other day I'll have to check that one out too.

Goldberg's first book is a little different in that he had an axe to grind with CBS and Dan (Running Red) Rather. So I can't say it's as good as Stossel's books. Now one I would most definitely recommend is "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin. Excellent read.
 

Brion

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2011
Messages
160
Location
Goldsboro, NC
Wouldn't it be nice, if there was a news agency out there, that only reported the **** that was really worth reporting. The one that would ignore such trash. The one that would release information to the general populace about what our politicians really do. Bring the general public to light of where our country is really going? Something tells me it would last a short while before the FCC stomps them into the ground like a campfire. Wonder if it was strong enough and out of control enough that the campfire erupted into a forest fire before the FCC got there.
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
Goldberg's first book is a little different in that he had an axe to grind with CBS and Dan (Running Red) Rather. So I can't say it's as good as Stossel's books. Now one I would most definitely recommend is "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin. Excellent read.

I heard of that one I'll look for it, They had the Men in Black one, but much of that is covered in the book Who Killed the Constitution by Thomas E. Woods a very informative book.
 

Laramie Laramie

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
2
Location
Laramie
Not sure what the OP thinks "news" is

While of course we are sensitive to reports of illegal uses of guns, a guy slaughtering his family is absolutely news and it should be reported.

It is unusual, but that is exactly what makes it news.

It's exactly why we don't read headlines like, "Good Weather Today in Alabama, No One Even Slightly Injured;" "99.99% Of Area Citizens Committed No Felony Yesterday;" "No Lane Closures on Main Street Yet Again;" "Politician Not Assassinated for 1000th Straight Day;" "Local Family Had Dinner, Watched A Little TV, Then Hit The Sack."
 

Grapeshot

Legendary Warrior
Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
35,317
Location
Valhalla
While of course we are sensitive to reports of illegal uses of guns, a guy slaughtering his family is absolutely news and it should be reported.

It is unusual, but that is exactly what makes it news.

It's exactly why we don't read headlines like, "Good Weather Today in Alabama, No One Even Slightly Injured;" "99.99% Of Area Citizens Committed No Felony Yesterday;" "No Lane Closures on Main Street Yet Again;" "Politician Not Assassinated for 1000th Straight Day;" "Local Family Had Dinner, Watched A Little TV, Then Hit The Sack."

Welcome to OCDO Laramie.

Agree that it is the "unusual" that makes the nightly news - the shocking, the horrific. Too often the American public wants to be titillated and made to feel good that it wasn't them. Then they want someone to fix it w/o their getting involved, w/o taking personal responsibility for their own lives.

In the long term, the problem is two fold. People become somewhat jaded and unaffected OR they knee-jerk and move to punish those not responsible along with the guilty. I see the media as greatly to blame for the sensationalizing and over generalizing what they claim to be the facts. It is what we call "painting with too broad brush."
i.e. a deranged individual shoots a victim(s) = gun owners are bad = guns are bad.

Yes, I believe they could produce a better story and sell advertising space (their real goal), but it would take a different mind set and a thirst for the truth. The American public has IMHO grown weary of the onslaught of negative journalism and more and more is turning to sites like this for a more realistic perspective.

It isn't just about guns and the RKBA alone either. It is about honest reporting, the trust and belief in the people, and understanding that "We the People" do know the difference.
 

Laramie Laramie

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
2
Location
Laramie
Thanks for the welcome

But, I'm not so sure there's anything wrong with the way the media reports (to go back to the OP's example) some guy taking a gun and killing his family or coworkers. Those are simply facts and it's news.

What anyone chooses to do with or make of those facts is another issue. There are 300,000,000 Americans...and 300,000,000 opinions and approaches.

I suppose I don't get (as a general matter, this isn't directed at you) this constant drumbeat of blaming the media for reporting: A) there is no such thing as "the media" anymore, as there are easily 10,000 sources for your news, from the lunatic right to the lunatic left organizations, so to pretend it is a monolith is wrong, and B) it's often just a convenient way to avoid the reality that you're going to hear opinions based on the same facts that are different from yours.
 

Aknazer

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
1,760
Location
California
But, I'm not so sure there's anything wrong with the way the media reports (to go back to the OP's example) some guy taking a gun and killing his family or coworkers. Those are simply facts and it's news.

What anyone chooses to do with or make of those facts is another issue. There are 300,000,000 Americans...and 300,000,000 opinions and approaches.

I suppose I don't get (as a general matter, this isn't directed at you) this constant drumbeat of blaming the media for reporting: A) there is no such thing as "the media" anymore, as there are easily 10,000 sources for your news, from the lunatic right to the lunatic left organizations, so to pretend it is a monolith is wrong, and B) it's often just a convenient way to avoid the reality that you're going to hear opinions based on the same facts that are different from yours.

The media refers to organized media and that is where most people get there news even if there's tons of other sources out there. And in organized media they tend to primarily focus on the bad with little to no regard to the good when it comes to guns. Yes there's different opinions but the media often does what you're saying people here are doing; and that's avoiding opinions that are different than theirs. "The media" rarely reports on self defense gun use, and when they do it isn't uncommon for them to try and marginalized it or try to omit things (such as one of the school shooting incidents where a person used a gun to stop the gunman followed by two people tackling the gunman; most media left out the gun and just said he was tackled even though it was the fact that he was confronted with a gun that allowed the other people to tackle him, and those that did mention the gun that was used to stop the gunman just grossed over it rather than talking about how it saved lives).

So as a whole the media is quick to demonize guns, but very skittish to paint them in a positive light. Of course there's exceptions to this, but I've noticed that's how most of them are.
 
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