Biased news

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ThisDinosaur
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Re: Biased news

Post by ThisDinosaur »

Well Kahneman says we are better at seeing bias in others than we are in ourselves. So a blue state news room will interpret good polling data with a blue filter. This says to me it might be better to read Huffpo and Breitbart than to just read BBC and Reuters. If you read the first two, you just disregard what they agree on, and focus on the conflict in the narratives. The perception of the masses is reality or something.

Riggerjack
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Re: Biased news

Post by Riggerjack »

Or, as I have done, limit your news inputs to articles linked in posts you read. News rarely references anything I can do anything about. Outside my circle of control, and circle of influence, usually means also outside my interests.

It is good to have a general idea of what is going on, but most news is noise.

bryan
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Re: Biased news

Post by bryan »

Yeah.. (media) bubbles are quite crazy. Case in point you can see the Trump administration and their aloofness to many issues and Americans' real concerns. Even for my own media, e.g. Twitter, I have seen polls posted/re-tweeted akin to: A) if you are in SW industry B) if you are not C) just show me the results and after answering it's shown that A has a super-majority with ~thousand votes total.

My parents are not reading anything close to the same news/opinions that I am (even for sportsball my media differs e.g. videos of press conferences, interviews or player tweets versus the newspaper or TV).

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jennypenny
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Re: Biased news

Post by jennypenny »

I'll admit to being a Matt Taibbi groupie, but I really enjoyed this discussion of the state of journalism between Chris Hedges and Taibbi. Taibbi's new book is also good (you can get excerpts on his website).
Part One
Part Two

Jason

Re: Biased news

Post by Jason »

This commentator argues that news needs to be read in the same manner as a juror processing opposing arguments in a court room.

https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/05/51698/

OTCW
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Re: Biased news

Post by OTCW »

Reuters has been my go to for years. I like the NYT and WSJ for indepth reporting.

IlliniDave
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Re: Biased news

Post by IlliniDave »

I'm not sure the chart in the OP has aged real well.

Clarice
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Re: Biased news

Post by Clarice »

jennypenny wrote:
Tue May 14, 2019 10:20 am
the state of journalism
Part One
Part Two
In addition to a serious discussion, some of you may enjoy a good laugh on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2BVI9OhC4

latearlyFI
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Re: Biased news

Post by latearlyFI »

i had a Youtube video regarding the upcoming Democrat debate. It is truly horrifying the nastiness of the comments. Nothing intelligent or policy based, just school yard bullying types of comments. I feel sad for this country.

IlliniDave
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Re: Biased news

Post by IlliniDave »

Best thing to do maybe is not watch Youtube videos or spend time on Twitter. Just watch the "debate" and to yourself challenge all the ideas brought up. Maybe some of them you'll weigh and determine have merit. My guess is that it will just be a Trump-bash-fest so not going to watch it. But you never know.

Kriegsspiel
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Re: Biased news

Post by Kriegsspiel »

This debate is really showcasing how stupid the format is. Unless the candidates argue with each other on stage, they might as well just put out videos of their canned responses to the questions without getting cut off by the moderators. That way we could hear from everyone; despite the moderators repeated assurances we'll hear from everyone, we aren't. It seems like whenever the candidates do argue with each other, the moderators stifle it. And they keep talking about how little time they have... just make the fucking thing longer.

Also having this many people on stage is.... not great.

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Ego
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Re: Biased news

Post by Ego »

IlliniDave wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:45 pm
Best thing to do maybe is not watch Youtube videos or spend time on Twitter.
I've recently come to realize that with extreme selectivity twitter is one of the best things about the internet. I get to peer into the minds of the leaders in most fields without intermediaries. Biased reporters are completely removed from the equation and replaced with steep original-source learning curves. The twitter algorithm, which many blame for creating the feeding frenzy of fury, is also pretty good at learning that some of us unfollow fury. I rarely see it when someone I follow posts political.

latearlyFI
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Re: Biased news

Post by latearlyFI »

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:16 pm
I agree. It was frustrating to watch. I erred watching it on Youtube. It also had a panel of unknown people holding up thumbs down or thumbs up cards and making comment, (who the heck are they to comment?) Anyway I'll try to watch tonights debate via another avenue, (I don't have cable). I'm looking forward to seeing Andrew Yang "debate". His Policies are nicely laid out on his website. I Iooked at the websites of other candidates and found them mostly lacking.

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Seppia
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Re: Biased news

Post by Seppia »

Until we will all agree to stop equating politics to a show, we will always get shit content.
Politics is not (supposed to be) a show, but it’s set up like one.
So obviously with this setup, only the most show worthy (which tend to be the politically shittiest candidates) will win.

WE WILL BUILD A WALL
WE WILL GET OUT OF EUROPE AND GAIN OUR INDEPENDENCE BACK

These work well in a TV show, but they’re terrible ideas.

Politics used to be serious stuff, if we don’t get back to treating it like so, we will continue to get soap opera like candidates.

Kriegsspiel
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Re: Biased news

Post by Kriegsspiel »

latearlyFI wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:30 am
I agree. It was frustrating to watch. I erred watching it on Youtube. It also had a panel of unknown people holding up thumbs down or thumbs up cards and making comment, (who the heck are they to comment?) Anyway I'll try to watch tonights debate via another avenue, (I don't have cable). I'm looking forward to seeing Andrew Yang "debate". His Policies are nicely laid out on his website. I Iooked at the websites of other candidates and found them mostly lacking.
You can just watch the NBC News stream, commentary free (I think Youtube yanked the commentary streams and suspended at least spme of them).

CS
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Re: Biased news

Post by CS »

CNBC streams it here (click play on the right area)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/27/what-to ... miami.html
Seppia wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 10:34 am
Until we will all agree to stop equating politics to a show, we will always get shit content.
Politics is not (supposed to be) a show, but it’s set up like one.
So obviously with this setup, only the most show worthy (which tend to be the politically shittiest candidates) will win.
Isn't that the basis for bread and circuses, etc? I don't think this is a new thing, frankly. The medium has changed - the behavior has not.

IlliniDave
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Re: Biased news

Post by IlliniDave »

Seppia wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 10:34 am

Politics used to be serious stuff, if we don’t get back to treating it like so, we will continue to get soap opera like candidates.
Yep.

It still is serious stuff for the players, if you allow politics to include how they package themselves for election. Overall it shares more with advertising than with debate class from high school. People in the aggregate are responding largely the way the candidates in the aggregate want them to (emotionally, mostly). So you are correct, and I would add that in order for that to happen voters need to realize that they are the ongoing target of manipulation, and have the gumption to resist it. A good dose of skepticism, especially regarding what is thrust in front of you, is a good start. Not an easy thing at all. That's nothing new, of course, it's just the palette of tools has expanded and the piping of content to people is virtually a 24/7 thing now.

It's early in the primary season so a lot is sensationalized. Candidates are performing for the primary-voting subset. Seems they feel the winning path this year is to be the leftmost of all. Not sure how the media and commentators are responding at this stage. Typically I don't pay a lot of attention until it is down to one candidate on both sides.

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Seppia
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Re: Biased news

Post by Seppia »

CS wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:01 pm
Isn't that the basis for bread and circuses, etc? I don't think this is a new thing, frankly. The medium has changed - the behavior has not.
No, sorry to behave like the annoying Latin-speaking know-it-all-asshole, but “panem et circenses” was what the romans used to distract common people from politics or anything important.
Politics was treated as very serious stuff, and those who were interested in it got access to serious discussione.

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Seppia
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Re: Biased news

Post by Seppia »

IlliniDave wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:36 am
Overall it shares more with advertising than with debate class from high school.
This sounds both extremely true and infinitely sad.

latearlyFI
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Re: Biased news

Post by latearlyFI »

Seppia wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 10:34 am
Totally agree. We'd vote better if everyone went and read the Policies of the candidates directly from the candidates themselves. I feel like I've had a real lesson in Propaganda and media bias this last week watching what they've done to Andrew Yang. I've read his book, his website Policies and watched his videos' and the twist on them is outrageous.

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