Splintered World

Just wondering what your views on the media and the freedom of the press are?

I disagree with their "right" to report on government activities and harass citizens just because "people have a right to know". They seem to enjoy harassing people and causing possible leaks of military and government plans that could cost lives.

Just nother pet peeve of mine is the press only prints 1 good story for every 20 negative stories.

Tumbleweed

Unfortunately good news doesn't sell. I'd like to see more good news, but there isn't any sensationalism involved.

I see the press as checks and balances. If the government had it's way, we would end up with state run news agencies much like Russia or China. I'm comfortable with our current system.

The government is famous for leaking information as well to push it's agenda. I don't see one being any worse than the other where information is concerned.

__________________
"To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead." Thomas Paine

Military might doesn't make up for political stupidity.

presluc

Wasn't it Hurst that said "if it bleeds it leads"?
The thing I don't like about todays news is that you can get the same story 4 maybe 5 times a day on 4 or 5 different channels and sometimes that same story will run a week.
"A person who has nothing to question already knows everything I would like to meet such a person"

top gun

The old saying "The sword cuts both ways" applies here. You don't have free people without a free press. There are treason laws on the books if the information given out rises to that level. The problem with the way your question is formed is it assumes that the "government" is always in the right. Was it wrong to leak about Watergate because we were in Vietnam? When we were fighting in Laos & Cambodia and the government said we weren't, should that have been held back. How about selling arms to the Contras? Maybe best to keep that under wraps too?
On the harassing do you feel just as strongly that the government shouldn't harass or spy on citizens that are not suspected of wrong doing under the cloak of "national security"? For a free country you got to want it bad, and there will be problems because of that. But transparency in government is almost always a good thing in the long run. And rest assured... the really Top Secret stuff stays Top Secret unless a top "government" person sells out!

presluc

What about the outing of a CIA Agent by government officials?

top gun

Touche... & Good point! That's one of those things that has no good ending. I was still right though that a government official had to leak for that to happen and even if the papers hadn't releast it... if the government wanted it out there it would have been circulated even if just by word of mouth. Actually that might have been worse. If your outed and in the CIA best you be one of the first to know about it.
Good post!

presluc

Thank you.

Slartibartfas

So you oppose investigative journalism in general? But especially if it is about anything the state or corrupt elites do not want anyone else to know?

You know normally all the corrupt, criminal etc stuff admitted with the knowledge of or directly by the state is a "states secret".

We have enough stories of investigative journalism as last means of checks and balance if everything else fails (what has already taken place also in the US), that justify this branch of journalism.

But of course also Putin for example is not exactly a fan of it. Neither the Chinese government or many others... Of course only because of security reasons, due to national interests...

__________________
"Every country gets the cuisine it deserves"

Common insult examples and how to avoid them

top gun

Not to pile on but as in the last line here.... Let's say for arguements sake that this were true. Say in the war in Iraq for instance the press is intentionally printing more "bad" stories than "good". (I personally don't believe this but say that's the case) but what's the flip side? You must remember when all through Vietnam the government said we were winning! We were kickin' butt all over the place. Heck we were really only there being "advisors". Then the network cameras came. And every night from then on we saw the truth.
In the end don't you think truth really trumps everything else?

presluc

"the truth trumps everything"
A true statement but isn't it true that sometimes even the truth can be altered {cherrypicked} to fit any situation?
Of cource then it would not be the "whole" truth.