To say the news is "real" but should not be taken as "reality" sniffs of a semantic game to me.
If something is real, then logically it follows that it is reality. If something is altered so that it no longer reflects reality, than it is no longer real (in the sense that we are using the word here). Sure news is packaged in a manner that is entertaining, just as a good college professor packages a lecture in a manner that is entertaining -- neither wants to put its audience to sleep. The fact that news is packaged does not prove malicious intent, or even benign neglect. The best way to impart information is in a manner that holds the attention of the audience. What is wrong with that? And just because information is packaged doesn't mean that it shouldn't be believed. Jesus told parables. Does that make his points any less meaningful? As for the commercialism of the news, what came first? The chicken or the egg? If news is entertaining, then people will watch. If people watch, advertisers will want to reach that audience. And so big corporations make money. That doesn't mean the news wasn't fair and accurate and truthful and .. reality. Doesn't a picture of a Palestinian woman dancing in the street on Sept. 11 reflect reality -- it reflects the reality of the moment; it reflects the reality that there are people in the world, especially the Middle East, who would gladly dance on all are graves; it reflects the reality that the situation in Palestine is not a pleasant one for Americans to contemplate. If you stripped away the big corporations and the commercials and the money, the woman dancing in the street would still reflect the same reality. She would still dance. And no matter what context you put the pictures in, it would still reflect the same reality. H. -----Original Message----- From: Benjamin Falloon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 1:19 AM To: CF-Community Subject: Re: Massive blasts rock Central Jerusalem :( I can see how you would understand it that way... But we have to be careful of focusing too much on that specific word. I tried to be clear in my explanation surrounding the word that although the news may be, as you say "raw", but the final product is different and the news [manufacturing] process makes it so. After all, we could never suggest that the news report itself was the actual 'reality' of what is reported... It is only a simulacra [of that reality] produced by a company to be delivered in a commercial environment. I'm not saying that the stories themselves are not real, but that the news presentations must not be taken as 'reality' as this privilege is afforded only to those upon whom the news is actually based. These people experience the reality of the story. Not we, the viewers. Debating the 'truthfulness' of news stories itself is always problematic as there are always a multitude of perspectives that are excluded from the choices made by the journalists. News organisations must select what they present, so you could say that this, is the most obvious (and powerful) part of the manufacturing process. After all, they could not show all perspectives and even if they could, news is still 'second hand' information. Benjamin ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 6:35 PM Subject: RE: Massive blasts rock Central Jerusalem :( > I took it to mean invent. As in "manufactured out of whole cloth," which is > a phrase usually denoting something that was invented and not truthful. > > Also, when you manufacture something, you are generally taking raw material > and turning it into something it is not, like taking metal, plastic and > rubber to manufacture a car. > > The news media, by and large, does not take raw materials and turn them into > something they are not, so in this context, manufacture sounds like you're > saying the media lies. > > H. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Maureen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 2:07 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: Massive blasts rock Central Jerusalem :( > > > At 06:36 AM 12/7/01 Benjamin wrote: > >The stories are manufactured. This does not mean that they were invented > out > >of thin air and not based of some kind of 'reality'. By manufactured I mean > >taken from a source, selective information and bias opinions constucted, > >edited down to have a punchy feel, music, special effect and voice over > >add... final product presented to the consumers as 'news'. This is the > >process of news manufacturing. > > This process is referred to as news packaging or > production. 'Manufacturing' usually implies 'making it up'. Perhaps that > was not the context in which you meant it, but that is the common usage of > the term, and obviously the cause of the confusion between you and Beth. > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
