• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

The media is so dumb sometimes....

IndyColtsFan

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
I often complain about our local newspaper, the Indianapolis Star. At one time, it was a really good news source (back when it was actually a newspaper!) but nowadays, in an effort to out-scoop everyone, most mainstream media sources seem to have sacrificed things like editing, common sense, etc. to be first to press.

So how does a picture like the one below make it by editors and become the top photo for a story in an article posted on their site today?!?!


bilde


People are so dumb....
 
Last edited:
IndyColtsFan said:
I often complain about our local newspaper, the Indianapolis Star. At one time, it was a really good news source (back when it was actually a newspaper!) but nowadays, in an effort to outscoop everyone, most mainstream media sources seem to have sacrificed things like editing, common sense, etc. to be first to press.

So how does a picture like the one below make it by editors and become the top photo for a story in an article posted on their site today?!?!


bilde


People are so dumb....
Click to expand...

Like I said when you posted in the nef thread. They don't have standards. They know the pic will draw hits / readers and they don't care how it makes them look as a publication.
 
Locut0s said:
Like I said when you posted in the nef thread. They don't have standards. They know the pic will draw hits / readers and they don't care how it makes them look as a publication.
Click to expand...

They're all out to out-scoop each other. I wonder if they even bother proofreading half of their articles.
 
Locut0s said:
Like I said when you posted in the nef thread. They don't have standards. They know the pic will draw hits / readers and they don't care how it makes them look as a publication.
Click to expand...

This. Now that I've seen the picture I'm curious what the story is about, and I don't even watch sports.
 
IndyColtsFan said:
They're all out to outscoop each other. I wonder if they even bother proofreading half of their articles.
Click to expand...

There's very little good journalism left out there. I don't know anything about sports but I'm sure it's the same as in news and investigative journalism. Why bother trying when you can turn the shit crank lay a news turd and people still lap it up? I cry for our society :'(
 
Locut0s said:
There's very little good journalism left out there. I don't know anything about sports but I'm sure it's the same as in news and investigative journalism. Why bother trying when you can turn the shit crank lay a news turd and people still lap it up? I cry for our society :'(
Click to expand...

Thankfully it's not ALL gone. The BBC, Reuters, New York Times, and others still put out some very good work, though even they seem to often get lazy.
 
The New York Times? Still puts out good work? Really?

Can't say I agree. They have been known to publish knowingly false information and lack ethical standards in the last 10 years or so.
 
Vic Vega said:
The New York Times? Still puts out good work? Really?

Can't say I agree. They have been known to publish knowingly false information and lack ethical standards in the last 10 years or so.
Click to expand...

I was wavering on putting them on there but I was trying to think of a US publication to add to the list so it didn't seem like it was all British / European. I'm sure there are some US publications that put out quality news, no?
 
IndyColtsFan said:
They're all out to out-scoop each other. I wonder if they even bother proofreading half of their articles.
Click to expand...

You should see garbage in the Edmonton Sun. They don't even check the spelling. Sometimes they mix up Osama and Obama. When the entire town of Slave Lake was destroyed, the article said "Salve Lake" a couple times. It's just horrible.
 
Locut0s said:
I was wavering on putting them on there but I was trying to think of a US publication to add to the list so it didn't seem like it was all British / European. I'm sure there are some US publications that put out quality news, no?
Click to expand...

It's a shame because I'm struggling to think of any. Though my information may be out of date as I haven't followed traditional print media since mid 2008 or so.
 
Locut0s said:
I was wavering on putting them on there but I was trying to think of a US publication to add to the list so it didn't seem like it was all British / European. I'm sure there are some US publications that put out quality news, no?
Click to expand...

Newsprint is dead. It's a waste of time, energy, and space. I like arstechnica ;^)
 
Vic Vega said:
It's a shame because I'm struggling to think of any. Though my information may be out of date as I haven't followed traditional print media since mid 2008 or so.
Click to expand...

Back in the 80s, the Star was good. Heck, it was probably still OK in the 90s as well. Since they merged the Star and Indianapolis News into a single daily newspaper, and since the internet era, quality of all media seems to have dropped precipitously.
 
lxskllr said:
Newsprint is dead. It's a waste of time, energy, and space. I like arstechnica ;^)
Click to expand...

Yes but the resources for hiring and training good journalists are still all with the print media. Really good investigative journalism that digs deep and takes months if not years to develop is still largely the domain of print media sadly.
 
Locut0s said:
Yes but the resources for hiring and training good journalists are still all with the print media. Really good investigative journalism that digs deep and takes months if not years to develop is still largely the domain of print media sadly.
Click to expand...

I prefer the anarchic approach of insiders leaking information, and non-professional journalists. It's cheaper to do, and usually more relevant. The trade off is quality writing, but I can read books for quality writing. Newsprint isn't the engine of change anymore, and with the best journalists in the world, they still don't matter.
 
lxskllr said:
I prefer the anarchic approach of insiders leaking information, and non-professional journalists. It's cheaper to do, and usually more relevant. The trade off is quality writing, but I can read books for quality writing. Newsprint isn't the engine of change anymore, and with the best journalists in the world, they still don't matter.
Click to expand...

I wonder though if the same level of training, professionalism, and skill is maintained. Journalists of days past, and up to today, spent decades honing their investigative skills, building networks of trusted sources, and getting to intimately know people in the fields they wrote about. A good part of the reason they were able to make people spill the beans is cause they spent years and years slowly building up trust.
 
Locut0s said:
I wonder though if the same level of training, professionalism, and skill is maintained. Journalists of days past, and up to today, spent decades honing their investigative skills, building networks of trusted sources, and getting to intimately know people in the fields they wrote about. A good part of the reason they were able to make people spill the beans is cause they spent years and years slowly building up trust.
Click to expand...

It absolutely isn't. Most "journalism" today is done by copy/pasting from other sources. I like the citizen journalist/wikileaks style better, where a regular person says "this isn't right, and I'm going to tell someone". It requires some thought, and filtering on the part of the reader, but you get the facts quicker, and awareness of smaller issues is more likely to get attention from non-pros.

Anyone can report the news now. The barrier to entry has been almost completely eliminated. Some pretties get lost in the process, but on the whole, I think it's better for society. More individual power, and responsibility is always a good thing.
 
lxskllr said:
It absolutely isn't. Most "journalism" today is done by copy/pasting from other sources. I like the citizen journalist/wikileaks style better, where a regular person says "this isn't right, and I'm going to tell someone". It requires some thought, and filtering on the part of the reader, but you get the facts quicker, and awareness of smaller issues is more likely to get attention from non-pros.

Anyone can report the news now. The barrier to entry has been almost completely eliminated. Some pretties get lost in the process, but on the whole, I think it's better for society. More individual power, and responsibility is always a good thing.
Click to expand...

True. My worry in this is that you may loose many of the stories that people don't want to tell. Stories that were only told in the past because someone was persistent enough, dug deep enough and wouldn't let go. I think there should be a place for both and I don't want to see the latter disappear.

And a lot of those that are the anybody and everybody who can report the news that you plaudit are the very types that are just copying and pasting.
 
Last edited:
I only get the Sunday paper and only because the wife likes to peruse the ads and clip coupons. The newspaper age is basically dead ... some just don't realize it yet.
 
Locut0s said:
I was wavering on putting them on there but I was trying to think of a US publication to add to the list so it didn't seem like it was all British / European. I'm sure there are some US publications that put out quality news, no?
Click to expand...

Wall Street Journal maybe? I haven't picked up one of those in over a decade but I used to like their publication.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top