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Published On: Dec 10, 2003 12:56 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Dec 10, 2003 12:56 PM
Letter to the Editor
I found it interesting contrasting actual events (I
watched a lot of speeches and the debate on C-SPAN yesterday.) and the way they
are reported by the media. I'm embarrassed to admit I've been mostly unaware of
this discrepancy. I was inspired to write a Letter to the Editor of the
Coloradoan (the local Ft. Collins paper) in response to the AP article they
posted about the debate.
I know some of you blog readers are wondering when I'm
going to go back to talking about life, computer, acting, etc. Well, when I'm a
roll I've got a single track mind.
I found it interesting contrasting actual events (I watched a lot of speeches and the debate on C-SPAN yesterday.) and the way they are reported by the media. I'm embarrassed to admit I've been mostly unaware of this discrepancy. I was inspired to write a Letter to the Editor of the Coloradoan (the local Ft. Collins paper) in response to the AP article they posted about the debate. Here's the text of the letter:
I'm becoming painfully aware of how much a poorly worded story can distort the news. Too often I read "the news" and accept it as truth without consideration.
Last night I watched the Democratic debate on TV. Normally I just read recaps of these events in the newspaper, but this time I actually took the time to hear what was being said. Then I saw what showed up on the front page of the morning newspaper.
The front-page article stated that eight candidates ganged up against Dean and Gore because of the surprise endorsement. This description invokes images of Democratic candidates fighting each other, and leads the casual reader to conclude that all Democrats are savage and chaotic.
In contrast I observed Ted Koppel, co-host of the debate, asking the candidates really pointed--almost nasty--questions about when the obvious losers were going to drop out of the race. These candidates were forced to defend their own campaigns' relevance, and their responses were as tactful and diplomatic as possible. This was reported as "ganging up" on the front-runner, and it just isn't true! They even showed a remarkable level of dignity and unity when telling Koppel to stick with the important campaign issues.
I urge all news "consumers" to periodically spend time following actual events and educate themselves on the difference between truth and media interpretation.
I found it interesting contrasting actual events (I watched a lot of speeches and the debate on C-SPAN yesterday.) and the way they are reported by the media. I'm embarrassed to admit I've been mostly unaware of this discrepancy. I was inspired to write a Letter to the Editor of the Coloradoan (the local Ft. Collins paper) in response to the AP article they posted about the debate. Here's the text of the letter:
I'm becoming painfully aware of how much a poorly worded story can distort the news. Too often I read "the news" and accept it as truth without consideration.
Last night I watched the Democratic debate on TV. Normally I just read recaps of these events in the newspaper, but this time I actually took the time to hear what was being said. Then I saw what showed up on the front page of the morning newspaper.
The front-page article stated that eight candidates ganged up against Dean and Gore because of the surprise endorsement. This description invokes images of Democratic candidates fighting each other, and leads the casual reader to conclude that all Democrats are savage and chaotic.
In contrast I observed Ted Koppel, co-host of the debate, asking the candidates really pointed--almost nasty--questions about when the obvious losers were going to drop out of the race. These candidates were forced to defend their own campaigns' relevance, and their responses were as tactful and diplomatic as possible. This was reported as "ganging up" on the front-runner, and it just isn't true! They even showed a remarkable level of dignity and unity when telling Koppel to stick with the important campaign issues.
I urge all news "consumers" to periodically spend time following actual events and educate themselves on the difference between truth and media interpretation.
Posted: Wed - December 10, 2003 at 12:56 PM