[Mihaly von Zsilinsky]

Do you think the press is free in your country? How free should it be, and what can we do to save the planet...


....from truthiness?

[Kenadian_2006]

Ehh.... not sure what this is about but... a free press, along with all the BS and idiots it brings, is also the best way to expose corruption and other BS found in government.

[Toichus Maximus]

I'd be able to answer this if I felt there was a press and not a conglomerated propaganda-spewing squabbling pit preying off peoples emotions and fads.

[Opethian]

Freedom of the press means the idiots get to spout propaganda if they want. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

[Gran the Adequate]

Toichus Maximus, on Dec 20 2007, 10:37 PM, said:

I'd be able to answer this if I felt there was a press and not a conglomerated propaganda-spewing squabbling pit preying off peoples emotions and fads.

That sums it up quite nicely.

[Smallfrog]

A free press can be great. It keeps the citizens informed, it is a true sign of a free soeciety.


Its is also to blame for the collapse of Northern Rock.

Northern Rock faced some difficulties with the US credit problems. However, its real problem came when the newspapers started screaming about it, causing a run on the bank, meaning it was about 16 billion worse of than it had expected.

[Comrade Craig]

As a diehard leftist, I recognize that a free press is the biggest barrier between my ideology and world domination, and therefore I oppose it. The people must never know the truth, otherwise they won't be duped by my commie propaganda.

-Craig

[Flame Darkfire]

Comrade Craig, on Dec 20 2007, 08:02 PM, said:

As a diehard leftist, I recognize that a free press is the biggest barrier between my ideology and world domination, and therefore I oppose it. The people must never know the truth, otherwise they won't be duped by my commie propaganda.

-Craig

Sucks for you, the press should be allowed to print or broadcast any story as long as it is truthful, accurate, and obeys the laws (noinvasion of privacy or stuff like that)

[Comrade Craig]

Flame Darkfire, on Dec 21 2007, 01:15 AM, said:

Sucks for you, the press should be allowed to print or broadcast any story as long as it is truthful, accurate, and obeys the laws (noinvasion of privacy or stuff like that)

You may have detected that I was being sarcastic. But then again, perhaps you did not.

-Craig

[Flame Darkfire]

Comrade Craig, on Dec 20 2007, 08:17 PM, said:

You may have detected that I was being sarcastic. But then again, perhaps you did not.

-Craig

Lurk more your sarcasm is weak. What IS your stance?

[Comrade Craig]

Flame Darkfire, on Dec 21 2007, 01:23 AM, said:

Lurk more your sarcasm is weak. What IS your stance?

No offense dude, but you should work on your social skills. There's really no need to be rude. You're not my enemy.

Besides, this whole topic is kind of a joke. "Are you for or against freedom?"

For the record, I'm for "freedom" and against truthiness.

-Craig

[Flame Darkfire]

Comrade Craig, on Dec 20 2007, 08:35 PM, said:

No offense dude, but you should work on your social skills. There's really no need to be rude. You're not my enemy.

Besides, this whole topic is kind of a joke. "Are you for or against freedom?"

For the record, I'm for "freedom" and against truthiness.

-Craig

Maybe I'm getting things mixed up, but can someone define "Truthiness?"

Edit: And FTR, I know you're not my enemy, you need to hone your sarcasm-fu.

This post has been edited by Flame Darkfire: 20 December 2007 - 08:02 PM

[Comrade Craig]

From Wikipedia:

TRUTHINESS

Quote

Truthiness is a word that U.S. television comedian Stephen Colbert popularized in 2005 as a satirical term to describe things that a person claims to know intuitively or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.[1] Colbert popularized this definition of the word during the inaugural (pilot) episode (October 17, 2005) of his satirical television program The Colbert Report, as the subject of a segment called "The Wørd". It was named Word of the Year for 2005 by the American Dialect Society and for 2006 by Merriam-Webster.[2][3]

-Craig

[Flame Darkfire]

Ah, in light of that, I see that this is far removed from Truthfulness. No, there should always be logic, reason, and research put into the press, so "truthiness" needs to go.

And Craig, for god's sake man, stop signing your posts. We all know who you are.

[Mihaly von Zsilinsky]

Please, I ask you all to think critically and question the media. And use social skills. This isn't your usual topic about spouting trite historical facts from dubious sources. It must be hard when the thread doesn't mention Ribbentrop, I know.


Craig,

This thread isn't about being "for" or "against" freedom.

Some people say that a totally free press can hurt society because facts can be distorted and "truthiness" (truth that comes from the gut and not from books) can reign supreme. A free media can also include the internet, which isn't always a conglomerated propaganda-spewing pit, but can easily recruit people for unsavory causes (like Islamic terrorism or Nazism), omit real news (like the media circus surrounding Anna Nicole Smith for instance) or be used to spread mainstream lies (like the media coverage of Bush's rationale for invading Iraq illegally).

Others say that a free press is the only check to tyrrany we have, even if it does involve alot of "truthiness" and distractions.

I ask: what makes a truly free press and how/where can we get the real truth about what goes on in this world?

[Flame Darkfire]

The Eternal Chairman, on Dec 20 2007, 10:17 PM, said:

I ask: what makes a truly free press and how/where can we get the real truth about what goes on in this world?

By not going purely off of gut feelings and backing up information with evidence. Interviews, research; both can help. Intuition is good to find a story, but then it needs to be researched more in-depth.

And a free press is any press that is not restricted, but within the boundaries of the laws of the land.

[Mihaly von Zsilinsky]

I'm not talking about just good journalistic practice. How does a free press affect SOCIETY?

[Saniel]

The problem is that I am not sure if it is even possible to have a free press in a capitalist society. Given Britain and the U.S.'s media, it seems like pictures of celebritys not wearing panties somehow trumps actual news.
I do think libel laws need a revamp in terms of the rules towards public figures, but again, that sort of thing is hard to make an effective balance.

[MiasmaCircle]

I think when the Spears sisters are the main news stories of the day, the media needs a long collective look in the mirror, but then again, so do all the drones who read it.

This said, they should be allowed to print whatever they deem newsworthy, provided it's true and sourced.

[Opethian]

Saniel, on Dec 21 2007, 05:46 AM, said:

The problem is that I am not sure if it is even possible to have a free press in a capitalist society. Given Britain and the U.S.'s media, it seems like pictures of celebritys not wearing panties somehow trumps actual news.
I do think libel laws need a revamp in terms of the rules towards public figures, but again, that sort of thing is hard to make an effective balance.

I don't see what that has to do with free press. Free press only means freedom from government censorship.

It has nothing to do with what is consumed by the public.