[luftfluss]

Unfortunately, I think reporting of Covid is tainted not only due to the politics around the virus but also because in the USA most newsmedia has an editorial bias.

[Racer X 69]

The misfortunes of others (especially those nearest to us) often help to put our own troubles into perspective. Happy Xmas to you and yours.

Thanks Rob.

[tranq78]

I really think that media members think that they should encourage people to get vaccinated. This is done by talking about the worst cases and the percent of unvaccinated people in the hospital. I don't think there is glee involved, but I do think they feel it as a civic duty.

The bias is very real. It's very hard to stay neutral about something that personally affects the reporters' friends and family. That's why journalism is called a profession. A professional will keep bias out of the news. I don't need the media to tell me what my opinion should be, I am capable of forming my own opinion. If this is too old school for modern media then I am content to be called old fashioned.

There is too much smugness about Covid reporting. It starts with reports of ICU numbers of unvaccinated and then on to interviews from experts who basically repeat the same messages. This is partly a pack mentality, a reporter or news outlet won't get into trouble if it does what the other news outlets do, so may as well all adopt the same rhetoric. This behavior just doesn't happen with Covid -- have you ever heard an economist, especially one that works for a bank, go off consensus?

"If it bleeds it leads" is an ages old maxim in the news business. i.e. people are drawn to bad news more so (by far) than good.

Sadly you are correct. The management in the corner office care very deeply about the number of eyeballs. Better ratings lead to more advertising revenue. And who doesn't like more money?

Humans are smart, we'll manage our way out of Covid.

Since I'm already being politically incorrect, Merry Christmas and a happy new year everyone!

[tokyoscape]

It seems like large group of people in some countries concern more about their tribal's believe than actual fact anyway.
Besides that, I don't think it's fair to blame medias alone when most country have rules and regulations to deal with unethical practices by News media. The same laws applied to the tradition News medias doesn't apply to a post on social medias, so there is no fact check, and this people suffer next to no consequences on their misinformation, including the social medias hosting it.
But at the same time those blaming traditional News media have no problem believe in whatever an unknown person on internet said. Start from, the virus wasn't real, and slowly change the argument to something else when more and more people sick and die, right? We have no way to know who is the person or people behind the keyboard on the social media. It could be a group, a country trying to mobilize division in another countries for a political gain while the traditional News media, we know where their office, who they are, who write the article, who can be be held accountable.

Well, anyway, I think I am lucky that I am not currently in a country with so many divisions and groups trying to pull one another legs in time like this. This is the time to help one another and help the country as a whole. Individualism in time like this is more or less a selfish act to me. I can't say the same back at home though!

Anyway, Happy New Year. Hope we all have a better and healthier year in 2022.

---

Last edited by tokyoscape; 12-24-2021 at 11:52 PM.

[Fries]

I am happy to report that the my colleagues at the broadcasting station in the north of the Netherlands are doing the best they can in reporting the on the current COVID situation and with very few exceptions the rest of the media are also doing the best they can. We don’t publish our COVID stories on Facebook anymore though because it attracts anti-vaccers like flies and they will do their utmost to distort the story and use it as a recruitment platform to get people to join their fight.

A few weeks ago we as reporters were asked to submit ideas and best practices about how to cover future violent protests safely. The amount of hostility directed towards journalists and authorities alike is staggering.

And yes we do put a lot of effort in reaching our public and while we do highlight stuff that peeks their interest most of the reporting that might trigger a emotional respons is on the burdens for business owners trying to survive the current lock down. But we also had a mayor on who was close too tears about his efforts to persuade his community with a below average vaccination rate to get vaccinated.

Personally I don’t do much reporting on Covid. Journalists are qualified as essential workers and are exempt from some of lock down rules and advices about travel and the amount of people that are allowed to gather. After a busy week with meeting some unmasked people in close quarters and using a busy ferry I told my dad that I would visit them this Christmas…outside! I’ll also do a rapid Covid test.

I can’t speak for the media in Canada and the US and most certainly not for Fox News but there are most certainly reliable voices out there amongst the more traditional media.

[Wheatridger]

We're suffering on many levels from the secondary effects of COVID-
1) the medical personnel who've worked grueling shifts, seeing too much death
2) public health personnel being harassed and threatened by the public
3) injured and sick people who can't obtain hospital resources
4) elderly (like my mother-in-law) who live alone because they're afraid to enter a facility

COVID is straining our health care network in all these ways and more. I'll do anything to help put this past us- wear a mask, stay home, get a shot. It''s the decent thing to do.

[Racer X 69]

A few weeks ago we as reporters were asked to submit ideas and best practices about how to cover future violent protests safely. The amount of hostility directed towards journalists and authorities alike is staggering.

The best way to deal with disruptive and hostile miscreants is to ignore them.

If no one shows up to report on their poor behavior, they will soon tire of it and find another game to play.

Much like children who throw a temper tantrum. Ignore them, they shut up and return to childhood play.

[RobA_Oz]

The bias is very real. It's very hard to stay neutral about something that personally affects the reporters' friends and family. That's why journalism is called a profession. A professional will keep bias out of the news. I don't need the media to tell me what my opinion should be, I am capable of forming my own opinion. If this is too old school for modern media then I am content to be called old fashioned.

There is too much smugness about Covid reporting. It starts with reports of ICU numbers of unvaccinated and then on to interviews from experts who basically repeat the same messages. This is partly a pack mentality, a reporter or news outlet won't get into trouble if it does what the other news outlets do, so may as well all adopt the same rhetoric. This behavior just doesn't happen with Covid -- have you ever heard an economist, especially one that works for a bank, go off consensus?

Sadly you are correct. The management in the corner office care very deeply about the number of eyeballs. Better ratings lead to more advertising revenue. And who doesn't like more money?

Humans are smart, we'll manage our way out of Covid.

Since I'm already being politically incorrect, Merry Christmas and a happy new year everyone!

You raise some interesting points. Where is the line between bias and judging what is most important for the readers to know? They are two different concepts, of course, but they no doubt interact in the minds of journalists and editors, and it’s probably more critical to recognise when someone decides what is important for the reader to not know.

The worst form of journalism is catering only to what they know the reader wants (confirmation bias), and we know who’s an expert at that.

Aside from that, I’m old enough to remember when newspapers carried inconsequential items on what used to be called the Social Scene (we called it the “Piffle Page”). It used to occupy one or occasionally two pages, but now it seems to occupy much of the whole paper, including the sports pages, and it’s one reason I don’t often buy particular newspapers, and try to read broadly online. COVID might have put that into perspective, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

[ChrisPlatt]

Today's planned trip to visit my wife's aunt in New Jersey was again postponed.

My daughters boyfriend's COVID rapid test on Christmas Eve came up positive.
As of this morning they hadn't received the results of the PCR test from the lab.

My daughter is at the boyfriend's place while they wait. She is sleeping on the couch.
They are staying masked and keeping apart as best as possible in a one-bedroom apartment.

My wife's aunt is elderly and has a history of asthma, so better safe than sorry.
Pending test results and weather permitting we may try again in a week or so.

Chris

[aslyfox]

Unfortunately, I think reporting of Covid is tainted not only due to the politics around the virus but also because in the USA most newsmedia has an editorial bias.

Trying to " play " nice here

The great fallacy, to me, is that certain " viewpoints " are " suppressed "

If one has internet access, anything can be found

and the cable TV is very similar

[BigMackCam]

"If it bleeds it leads" is an ages old maxim in the news business. i.e. people are drawn to bad news more so (by far) than good.

This year - and especially this last few months - I've stopped watching and listening to TV and radio news broadcasts and magazine programmes. All they seem to peddle - well, 95% of it - is shock stories, sad events, fear and uncertainty, etc.. and if it's not that, it's sentimental and/or bitter-sweet stories designed to pull at your heart strings. I'm not an insensitive chap and I do feel for others, but life's tough enough for most of us to some degree, and I can no longer handle everyone else's bad news. We all have things to deal with, concerns and worries. So now, I read the headlines on the BBC News website, and if there's something I feel I really need to know about, I read it. Otherwise, I just scroll past. The only TV and radio programmes I bother with now are those for entertainment. It's not always easy... my Dad loves to get worked up over political scandals, and my Mum loves a sad or sentimental tale... but I've no appetite for it any more, so while they watch the news, I go and do something more useful or worthwhile...

[Fries]

The best way to deal with disruptive and hostile miscreants is to ignore them.

If no one shows up to report on their poor behavior, they will soon tire of it and find another game to play.

Much like children who throw a temper tantrum. Ignore them, they shut up and return to childhood play.

Impossible to do when the police is forced to use their firearm. During riots in Rotterdam the police even shot some rioters and in my neck of the woods (Leeuwarden) they had to draw their weapon too. That is so uncommon for our community that you cannot let it go unreported. So if there is a potential for real violence during what starts out as a demonstration you sometimes have to be there and prepare for that eventuality. But when a group of people starts to gather only to express some really crazy stuff we most likely ignore it depending on the size of the crowd. And even then we are careful about what we report and regularly focus on stuff like crowd size. We don't do our job when we function as a simple amplifier for the conspiracy theories that are sparking those protests. So you add context, you confront or resort to giving just a short, global summary of what the whole fuss is about.

[Parallax]

but I've no appetite for it any more, so while they watch the news, I go and do something more useful or worthwhile...

I can think of several things to watch that are nearly as informative and much more entertaining. The Simpsons and King of the Hill are just a couple that come to mind.

[aslyfox]

In this country, it seems there are groups, on each side of the political spectrum, which join normal political " free speech " peaceful lawful activities with the sole intent to cause violence and destruction

[tranq78]

Today's planned trip to visit my wife's aunt in New Jersey was again postponed.

Well that sucks. Hope things work out and you can finally make the trip. Stay well!

Where is the line between bias and judging what is most important for the readers to know? They are two different concepts, of course, but they no doubt interact in the minds of journalists and editors, and it’s probably more critical to recognise when someone decides what is important for the reader to not know.

This year - and especially this last few months - I've stopped watching and listening to TV and radio news broadcasts and magazine programmes. All they seem to peddle - well, 95% of it - is shock stories, sad events, fear and uncertainty, etc.. and if it's not that, it's sentimental and/or bitter-sweet stories designed to pull at your heart strings.

My mother in law is in her mid 80's and is a retired nurse. She supports vaccination but even she has said how awful the television and radio is. News is about the 5 W's and 1 H -- who, what, where, when, why & how. When the media throws in a side dish of moralizing and finger wagging from some expert, that's bias. When the media doesn't cover the 5 W's or downplays some of them, that's bias. And my MiL wasn't talking about internet trolls and conspiracy theorists, she doesn't have a computer. She is talking about Canadian mainstream media.

My youngest had his booster shot 2 days ago, his 3rd Pfizer shot. He says his arm is sore and can't lift it above his head. At least he's fully magnetic and the nanobots are ready to accept instructions from Billion$ the Gate$ on the LTS/5G waves. Oops... inside voice. I swear the 'bots made me do it.

---------- Post added 12-26-2021 at 05:18 PM ----------

In this country, it seems there are groups, on each side of the political spectrum, which join normal political " free speech " peaceful lawful activities with the sole intent to cause violence and destruction

Egads, I need to watch Fox News and Saturday Night Live to end up with a balanced view of the world.