I try to get a balanced view of the news.
I read multiple newspapers every day- the Los Angeles Times, the Long Beach Press Telegram, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. (I probably should add the Christian Science Monitor to that list, but I only catch it a few times a week.) I used to read the Ann Arbor News, but it has dissipated into a weekly, so it’s a very occasional read for me.
I did stop watching the local news on TV, since they all seem to stress shooting, accidents, and the like. I am sure those things are news to someone- just not me.
And, when I traveled, I always picked up a local paper- but then I began noticing… there wasn’t a local paper. Gannett and its USA Today had purchased a slew of them and incorporated (some- read very little) of their reportage into the paper. (NOTE: USA Today has a commendable business section.)
But, I always wonder how will folks know what’s going on around them, to be informed voters, if there is no local news reporting.
Let’s get real. TV reporting is rarely if ever complete- and at this point in time, most of the local networks are controlled by one or two behemoths (Sinclair and Fox come to mind) where big segments of the “news” broadcasts are imposed from on high. That’s NOT local reporting.
Over the past few years, about ½ the newspapers disappeared and the number of reporters following the news are way down. (6000 journalists lost their jobs in the past two years or so.) Which means about 1/3 of papers don’t report on state-wide news.
So, I was pleased to learn about a new group- States Newsroom. This non-profit has about 100 full-time editors, reporters, and support staff. Unfortunately, they are not “across” the USA, only operating in about 23 states. They plan to reach 40 of them in the next 30 months or so.
They get their funding from foundations and individual donors. And, list them on their site. To be transparent.
The good news? Smaller papers have to pay for wire services’ news feeds (AP, UPI, etc.) that they incorporate into their publications. But, they can use States Newsrooms feeds for free.
Maybe you can send in a donation, too. To keep our local reporting alive.
I did.
I can agree that small town papers may be doing better? May be doing their best? But it still seems that so many are reading off the same page as the larger corporations.
The above example you cited (in the image) is a blatant example of skewed journalism. About the vaccines. If the vaccines are effective, if they are preventing transmission and infection, then maybe the non vaccinated are to blame. I said maybe.
But, if they are not effective—if they are also allowing infection and transmission, then they can not keep saying it’s those who are not vaccinated who are spreading it. Indeed, the man got vaccinated and masked up—yet still got it! ? So, that tells me that those measures are not preventing the virus. Not entirely. They’re helping to be sure, but if some are still getting infected despite taking all of these measures, then they are also spreading the virus, not just the non vaccinated. The science here is conveniently being ignored. Whether a newspaper is large or small, they are spewing out similar error.
I’d like to see some real attention to looking at truth.
You got more than $.02
Blessings
Laurie
Laurie recently posted..Homestead Blog Hop 371
I never mind more than 2 cents. However, I do want to take issue with many of your proclamations.
Vaccinations ARE effective. They are not 100%- no vaccine is yet. But, when enough folks have been vaccinated, then herd immunity means that the virus begins to find it impossible to find a host, so we have less- or no- infections.
The vaccine NEVER kills a virus that isn’t within the human body. Because our immune system operates within the corpus. So, when the virus circulates in the air and is inhalled by a subject, it can be exhaled from the nostril before entering the confines of our body where the antibodies and immune system can go to work. (This is where masks come into play- diminish the viral load on the body and, if viruses pass through the mask, they find it harder to be exhaled into the environment.)
That explains both your concept of infection spreading from those infected and those who refuse to be vaccinated.
Moreover, the non-vaccinated provide the virus an opportunity to mutate- as we see with the omicron version, which has incorporated elements of the common cold within itself. Making it more likely to be transmitted- but less likely to be lethal.
I will have to check this out — I do miss the old era of the newspaper. Thanks for sharing!
Dominique recently posted..Finding Peace Outdoors
Go and check. We need more local and state reporting, so we know what is going on where we live, Dominique.
Alas, not in New York State. Not yet. I get so tired of the reporting of our local paper (surprise, published by Gannett). Either it’s not local, or it’s local and stale (published days after the incident). We need something else.
I do remember when I lived in Charlottesville, I called the local paper the Daily Regress (as opposed to its claimed moniker the Daily Progress)…
At least the local Charlottesville news was covered adequately.