The Media as Funhouse Mirror
Posted by Lance on 15 Nov 2007 at 3:25 pm | Tagged as: Media, Lance's Page
Dale Franks looks at CNN manipulation through the editing process. While of less importance than the Al Dura trial, it does show why we should worry about its pervasiveness.
It is one amongst many reasons why I am so reluctant to jump to conclusions, especially on explosive issues. So many things seem so convincing, the arguments so airtight based on the evidence, and then we find out later how tentative was the evidence, or out and out false. Sometimes due to bias (of all types) sometimes due to confusion and the press of the seemingly important kinetic story and vivid images, mental and photographic. At times it is purposeful distortion, which is then distorted again for the purposes of those who wish to grind their political ax. Almost the entire Katrina narrative has in time been shown to be false, and few even know it, and many are doing their best to keep it alive for self interested reasons. The Duke Lacrosse case, the Jena 6, Beauchamp, Dan Rathers memo’s, Haditha, the halting change in the reporting from Iraq and many many stories about the war, the administration, and on and on- we find later that the evidence was exaggerated, the conclusions too broad and far reaching, and some were just made up out of whole cloth. Anyway, go see what Dale has to show, I would say it disgusts me, but today it just makes me tired.
One Response to “The Media as Funhouse Mirror”
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Amen.
Anyone who has ever witnessed a trial where each side puts on its case separately can attest to the fact that one-sided stories are very convincing. I vividly recall how convinced I would be by the initial argument (usually of the plaintiff) only to change my mind after hearing the other side.
And of course, one-sided debate is really just the definition of propaganda, isn’t it?