They must think we're Idiots!

[TheRealCJ]

Here's the news for today: Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Pacific nations of Samoa, several hundred confirmed dead, nearly a thousand more missing. Half a dozen Australians also confirmed dead. Prime Minister Rudd pledges nearly a hundred billion dollars of relief, including several warships carrying supplies.

What's the headline in the sunday paper today? Greg Norman. GREG. FUCKING. NORMAN. A washed up pro-golfer who peaked fifteen years ago. Apparently he's breaking up with his wife. This is important enough news to have three pages dedicated to it, including the entire front page headline/image.

What. The. Fuck.

Come on, Fairfax! You managed to squeeze nearly three weeks of daily headlines out of Michael Jackson dying, I'm sure you can do better than that with nearly a hundred times the number of bodies (possibly more). You already own half the Tabloid magazines that sit next to the Newspapers on the shelves, but oh wait, they're all dedicated to that photo of Kristen Thomas' and Robert Patterson's first kiss.

I guess you really DID need to inform the world of the breakup of a Pro Golfer's marrige in microscopic detail, Sorry to get all hot and bothered, you're right, I don't need to know about what's going on that might actually affect me. Because I a) Follow Greg Norman's career closely, b) Still give a shit.

Oh, but I guess you're going to go and complain about how print media are dying, because everybody is getting their news from the internet. I wonder why that is? Probably just one of them Phenomenon.

 

[Shadow Law]

The Media is just a group of idiots around the world...end of discussion.

 

[megapenguinx]

It seems people always care about the lives of celebrities more than they care about the common folk. It's quite sad really.

 

[GodsAndFishes]

this is why I've stopped watching/reading the news, I get too worked up whenever I do.

 

[SovietSecrets]

It seems people always care about the lives of celebrities more than they care about the common folk. It's quite sad really.

This pretty much has been the trend for a very long time now. Tis terrible.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Because isn't the earthquake stuff old news? It's been a few days hasn't it, time to move on, then write some Op Eds about it, or some news on the recovery in a few days. Continuously saying OMG the horror about Tsunami land grows old after a bit.

 

[Outamyhead]

I gave up on the news when Paul Newman died, the evening news guy was either a genuine pillock or didn't know anything as he announced that "Paul Newman, known mostly for his salad dressings", not his long movie career, nor his passion for racing that went on pretty much to the end of his life (he was still racing when he was 76 or 78), but his bloody salad dressing!???

Decent news journalism is dead and buried.

 

[QuirkyTambourine]

I hate the media, they force me to scour the internet for real news. I swear to god every week CNN's front page has some stupid thing about Jon and Kat Plus 8. It's not entirely their fault, but there's nothing they can do about it.

The majority of people apparently love gossip news so that gets them hits, but they can't post new news or else they won't get hits because it's not gossip.

 

[sneakypenguin]

I gave up on the news when Paul Newman died, the evening news guy was either a genuine pillock or didn't know anything as he announced that "Paul Newman, known mostly for his salad dressings", not his long movie career, nor his passion for racing that went on pretty much to the end of his life (he was still racing when he was 76 or 78), but his bloody salad dressing!???

Decent news journalism is dead and buried.

I knew him mainly for the racing part, but his foodstuffs were pretty popular. Racing is one of those closed circles you either know all about it or nothing at all so salad dressing it is lol.

 

[Skeleon]

Well, can't say I'm very surprised.

Murder and rape continue unabated in Darfur, too.
But both of these stories are "old news", as they say, even though they aren't resolved yet.

The media are into it for the ratings.
They choose what they think gets the most, simple as that.

 

[The Lawn]

My local paper is independently owned and only prints 'news' news.

Occasionally they have a plug interview in the arts and entertainment section, but never more than half a page.

Whenever I get a phone call from a major news paper asking if I want a subscription I simply state: "If I wanted to stare at shit I'd look in my toilet", and hang up.

When it comes to TV news I watch the BBC World News, because it is... World News. They mentioned Michel Jackson once... and that was it.
I don't watch Faux News, Crap Basket Station (CBS) or Nothing But Crap (NBC) because its just LOLCELEBRITIES!!! OMGCARCRASH!!! ROFLWEATHER!!! DELICIOUSFILLER!!! OHYEAHSPORTS!!! end....

Waste of my time really.

 

[BonsaiK]

Be aware that due to printing times, the paper might have gone to press before the tsunami news broke. Might not be their fault. Look for the story tomorrow.

 

[Outamyhead]

I gave up on the news when Paul Newman died, the evening news guy was either a genuine pillock or didn't know anything as he announced that "Paul Newman, known mostly for his salad dressings", not his long movie career, nor his passion for racing that went on pretty much to the end of his life (he was still racing when he was 76 or 78), but his bloody salad dressing!???

Decent news journalism is dead and buried.

I knew him mainly for the racing part, but his foodstuffs were pretty popular. Racing is one of those closed circles you either know all about it or nothing at all so salad dressing it is lol.

But pretty much everyone has seen "The Sting", or "Road to Perdition", or "The Colour of Money", he was an actor before anything else.

 

[r3lix]

Greg Norman is a well known guy. The fact that they could have used more interesting and community problems to put in their paper is weird. I just think that they had chosen that because no one else was stupid enough to put it in their paper and would attract attention and therefore...sales.

 

[Omega NZ]

I gave up on the news when Paul Newman died, the evening news guy was either a genuine pillock or didn't know anything as he announced that "Paul Newman, known mostly for his salad dressings", not his long movie career, nor his passion for racing that went on pretty much to the end of his life (he was still racing when he was 76 or 78), but his bloody salad dressing!???

Decent news journalism is dead and buried.

I knew him mainly for the racing part, but his foodstuffs were pretty popular. Racing is one of those closed circles you either know all about it or nothing at all so salad dressing it is lol.

But you guys can't deny his Ranch dressing is preety amazing.
He was pretty good in Cool Hand Luke too, sorry to go off topic. It is disappointing that the media chooses to cover celebrities rather than world events, but if they weren't making money from it, they wouldn't do so now would they? So long as people buy into it, that will keep producing the same things. Sad but true.

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I got really worked up one time when I briefly scanned the front page of my local paper about a year ago.

On the front page: 2,000 DEAD IN PHILIPPINES FERRY ACCIDENT.

...story on page four.

The big article with huge block letters, huge color picture and massive wall of words: DOG GROOMING TIPS.

I was pissed off all day after I'd seen it.

 

[Smudge91]

Most newspapers are completely unreliable now . Such as the Sun and the Daily Mail. I mean seriously Princess Diana has been dead for how many years and they still harp on about a conspiracy or = immigrants or blantant racism that it gets away with. Just read the ex broadsheets they have actual news that i may care about not whether Jordan is having a new bf round for tea. /rant.

 

[Dramatic Flare]

I gave up on the news when Paul Newman died, the evening news guy was either a genuine pillock or didn't know anything as he announced that "Paul Newman, known mostly for his salad dressings", not his long movie career, nor his passion for racing that went on pretty much to the end of his life (he was still racing when he was 76 or 78), but his bloody salad dressing!???

Decent news journalism is dead and buried.

I knew him mainly for the racing part, but his foodstuffs were pretty popular. Racing is one of those closed circles you either know all about it or nothing at all so salad dressing it is lol.

But you guys can't deny his Ranch dressing is preety amazing.
He was pretty good in Cool Hand Luke too, sorry to go off topic. It is disappointing that the media chooses to cover celebrities rather than world events, but if they weren't making money from it, they wouldn't do so now would they? So long as people buy into it, that will keep producing the same things. Sad but true.

What about his Cereal? Surely you can't forget Newman-Os.
I kid, I kid. Cool Hand Luke was good, and should be considered as such.

Back to the topic: I find that smaller, independent papers and news sources tend to be better at the news than anyone else. The trick is finding the critical juncture where they're into their job and write, with facts well checked, and small enough for this to almost always be the case, yet not so small they qualify merely as a group of bloggers with some pay.

 

[Ninonybox_v1legacy]

lol....what has our world come to