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Balloon Boy Story-What does it say about the Media?
Posted by laurencefosgate • 10/24/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: hoax, media, news, television
The recent balloon boy story/hoax has some disturbing implications for the media which launched almost immediately into breathless and confused coverage. The press simultaneously reported ten different heights, speeds and other information which showed how inaccurate their stories can be about details, not to mention the fact that the whole story was based on a fairly transparent lie. If they can't get the boy balloon story right, how off are they on all they report? From CNN, Fox, NBC, talk radio, left and right, they all got caught up in reporting a lie. Do you think it was a wakeup call for them?
User Comments
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No, they will go back to business as usual. And this will be brushed under the rug -
It should be a wakeup call for more than the media.
My friend Jo (and others) have an interesting uptake on all of this.
majorityoftwo.blogspot.com/2009/10/out-of-mouths-of-babes.html
I'm not a big fan of reality tv anyway because I for some unknown reason can spot the truly bad acting and set up stupid situations for what they are and go watch something more true to life, like lost. -
For the media? No. For it to be a wake-up call for the media, the media would have to have been in the dark about its general disregard for accuracy. I'm sure everyone involved in the process is and has been well aware of that for some time, and that most are unconcerned about it. Information isn't what news is about--it's about increasing ratings and selling advertising while avoiding lawsuits.
It might have served as a wake-up call for some viewers, but I suspect not many, because the specifics you mention which (unlike the absence or presence of a child in the balloon) should have been verifiable will escape most people's attention.
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