4 “S” Words about News
February 10th, 2008
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“If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” - Mark Twain
News is a business - it exists to sell itself, not to tell you the unvarnished truth. Here are some of the tricks they employ to keep you watching so they can rake in the advertising money:
- Sensational -The news is formatted in the most sensational way to draw people in. This means dramatic headlines, shocking pictures, and other dramatization. This past summer, when a large pipe burst in NYC it was on the news all night, straight. It was the exact same 10 seconds of information over and over. The only change is the varying overtones of excitement and anxiousness as if it just happened a moment ago.
- Speculation - When talking about things that haven’t happened yet - you will see lots and lots of speculation but no new information. They will pull on “experts” who all argue with each other, showing that they aren’t giving you any new facts.
- Spin - the various stations all spin the news to appeal to their target audience. You also can’t expect the station to show all the information going on worldwide - only that which they expect the viewers want to see. You can have two channels reporting the same event with completely different spins. The stations are showing you what you want to hear, so you will keep watching.
- Spoofing - Another way news is made sensational is through outright lying. There are freelancers doctoring photos they submit, and examples can be seen all over in news about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
If you are looking for the truth, you probably aren’t going to find it on the news stations!
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