Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Why Do People Read Newspapers?
I often ask myself this question. Just why? Do they think they contain news? Or facts? I've long hated newspapers for their baseless opinions, exaggerations and plain old and incorrect facts. I must admit, I only discovered myself today that the headline in the Sun just before the 90-day vote ("Tell Tony He's Right", with a bloodstained bomb victim covering the page) turned out to be pure propeganda - the man who's image (without his permission) actually thinks the complete opposite. Now, if I was ever caught in a terrorist attack, my greatest fear would be being photographed by a tabloid and used as a puppet in their agenda.
What makes me more angry is when newspapers claim to be representing the people. They certainly don't represent me, and just when do the journalists actually find out what public opinion is? The leader "TREACHEROUS MPs betrayed the British people last night by rejecting new laws to combat terror" is so loaded with [the complete opposite of my] opinions that it makes me want to vomit. Do people only read newspapers because they like to be told what their opinion should be?
Still, the Sun statistics on how they claim to speak for the masses is nicely deconstructed here, which makes me feel a bit better.
What makes me more angry is when newspapers claim to be representing the people. They certainly don't represent me, and just when do the journalists actually find out what public opinion is? The leader "TREACHEROUS MPs betrayed the British people last night by rejecting new laws to combat terror" is so loaded with [the complete opposite of my] opinions that it makes me want to vomit. Do people only read newspapers because they like to be told what their opinion should be?
Still, the Sun statistics on how they claim to speak for the masses is nicely deconstructed here, which makes me feel a bit better.
