[PaulV]

We know all about Tim Tebow's trade and Whitney Houston's drug overdose but you'd think an attempted military coup in a nation with the world's largest military would make the network news somewhere.

Beijing Coup Rumors

China Security Chief Lost Power Struggle

[FJBoccia]

PaulV, on 23 March 2012 - 04:22 PM, said:

We know all about Tim Tebow's trade and Whitney Houston's drug overdose but you'd think an attempted military coup in a nation with the world's largest military would make the network news somewhere.

Beijing Coup Rumors

China Security Chief Lost Power Struggle

It's understandable, Paul: The reporters and headline writers can spell Tebow and Houston, but some of those Chinese names...

FJB

[Dirigoboy]

FJBoccia, on 23 March 2012 - 06:09 PM, said:

It's understandable, Paul: The reporters and headline writers can spell Tebow and Houston, but some of those Chinese names...

FJB

What's so hard about Bruce Lee?


Anyhow, regarding main stream media (which I trust as far as I can throw them), it would appear that NBC has been caught with it's pants down, intentionally rigging important facts of the Zimmerman shooting. From the Washington Post's "Post Opinions,"

Posted at 04:40 PM ET, 03/31/2012
NBC to do ‘internal investigation’ on Zimmerman segment
By Erik Wemple

NBC told this blog today that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC:

“We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.”

Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

Here’s how the actual conversation went down:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

The difference between what “Today” put on its air and the actual tape? Complete: In the “Today” version, Zimmerman volunteered that this person “looks black,” a sequence of events that would more readily paint Zimmerman as a racial profiler. In reality’s version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police. Nothing prejudicial at all in responding to such an inquiry.

In an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, called this elision on the part of ”Today” an “all-out falsehood” — not just a distortion or misrepresentation.

And it’s a falsehood with repercussions. Much of the public discussion over the past week has settled on how conflicting facts and interpretations call into question whether Zimmerman acted justifiably or criminally. That’s a process that’ll continue. But one set of facts in the is ironclad, and that’s the back-and-forth between Zimmerman and the dispatcher. To portray that exchange in a way that wrongs Zimmerman is high editorial malpractice well worthy of the investigation that NBC is now mounting.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall for this one.

[AQuaker]

The Treyvon Martin Case continues on its the path of stupidity, which started the minute Zimmerman got out of his car. From that moment on, a chain of errors began to grow from the the decision not to pursue the case, to the rush of the media to get the story, to the various organizations knocking each other down to get a piece of the action. There are a lot of what ifs in this case, and not one is going to bring that poor boy back to life. When I think of Tryvon walking back from the store with his candy and drink without a care in the world until he realized he was being followed. It makes me want to cry. I feel for his parents. I really do, but I would wait for the grand jury and work with the Feds in charge of this case before I would continue to work with the media, the two Reverends and the New Black Panthers. Because in the end, it is the feds, the grand jury, and the police who wanted to file charges to begin with who are going to bring any resolution to them. I think we all know the parents are acting out of pain, anger, and grief and a lot of people are taking advantage of this. IMHO.

[maddevon]

Strange, I think, how some of these threads will turn circles. What started out as a possible conversation about an attempted military coup in China has been ignored, and instead, the big story of the moment is what's being discussed. Because of this, I believe Paul's initial point has been made completely.

[Dirigoboy]

maddevon, on 01 April 2012 - 09:13 PM, said:

Strange, I think, how some of these threads will turn circles. What started out as a possible conversation about an attempted military coup in China has been ignored, and instead, the big story of the moment is what's being discussed. Because of this, I believe Paul's initial point has been made completely.

How so? The implication was about coverage by the MSM (which I'm no fan of) and what the author felt was a more newsworthy event being superseded by a less news worthy event. The implication, and example supplied is further evidence via my post which supports his contention in the fact that large or small, the news media isn't as reliable as they'd like us all to think.
Seems rational to me.

[AQuaker]

Sorry, if I went off thread. I think a military coup in China is unlikely. Now North Korea - I would not be surprised, but we so know so little about that country. You are correct that our news media tends to focus on the sensational, but I blame rupert murdoch for paving that road. I am sure there are others just like him. I long for the days of Edward R. Murrow, but even he had his detractors.

This post has been edited by AQuaker: 02 April 2012 - 08:23 AM

[maddevon]

Quote

How so? The implication was about coverage by the MSM (which I'm no fan of) and what the author felt was a more newsworthy event being superseded by a less news worthy event. The implication, and example supplied is further evidence via my post which supports his contention in the fact that large or small, the news media isn't as reliable as they'd like us all to think.

Please don't feel offended, as that was never my intention; nor was it a complaint. Simply pointing out an observation that we tend to wander on subject on this forum, but I realize that we do get to a lot of good subjects that way.

Your initial post was actually kind of frightening, as it didn't merely point out a bit of unreliability, but outright deception. Of course, isn't that the same network that rigged a pickup truck to explode on impact for their sensational story on automobile safety some twenty odd years ago? If so, then deception is nothing new to them. I do however, agree with you that reliability is not the news media's strong point - Has it ever been?

Quote

Sorry, if I went off thread. I think a military coup in China is unlikely. Now North Korea - I would not be surprised, but we so know so little about that country. You are correct that our news media tends to focus on the sensational, but I blame rupert murdoch for paving that road. I am sure there are others just like him. I long for the days of Edward R. Murrow, but even he had his detractors.

You blame Rupert Murdoch for paving the road of sensationalism in news media? Really? I've never picked an argument with anybody on here, but such a blatant, obviously politically motivated statement such as that is just begging to be disseminated. Instead, I will simply point out that sensationalism in news media was around long before Murdoch, and there isn't necessarily anything more sensational about it now then there was in the past.

You're first two statements leave me a bit bewildered. You find a military coup in one of the most politically unstable nations unlikely? And um, isn't North Korea already under military control under their leader?

This post has been edited by maddevon: 02 April 2012 - 10:01 AM

[Dirigoboy]

No, I wasn't offended. You should have been around in '03 when Iraq began. ;)
Personally, I have never trusted the MSM. If I want to know the news, I go to the Internet and seek my own sources.
This is but one example of the how it all works. And, I can't help but feel a little smug today.....check that.....I'm actually loving the fact that NBC is forced to report out in it's own medium that they've been called out, not only to report the fact that they'd misrepresented what was said between Zimmerman, who is not a caucasian as reported elsewhere ("Reverend" Al & Uncle Jessie?) and the dispatcher, but how much their dupe Sharpton, an MSNBC empolyee, was inciting the situation.
In conclusion, two things. I've never trusted the MSM---ever, so I'm not surprised, and secondly, I won't tell you what I think of Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. Rhymes with media stores......

[AQuaker]

I don't like Rupert Murdoch any more than I care for the late Wm. Randolph Hearst and that has nothing to do with my politics but my sense of good taste. His style of journalism is an insult to the word. Even before they caught his reporters buying off the Scotland Yard and members of Parliament as well as hacking into phone conversations and the like, I have disliked the man ever since he took over British newspapers and turned them into birdcage liners. He has no honor and no sense of common decency. http://www.pbs.org/w...rdochs-scandal/




The little fat guy is technically head of NK, but what if the Army decides they have had enough and go rogue? I have not thought of China as being politcally unstable since Tinnamman [sic] Square.

maddevon, on 02 April 2012 - 09:55 AM, said:

Please don't feel offended, as that was never my intention; nor was it a complaint. Simply pointing out an observation that we tend to wander on subject on this forum, but I realize that we do get to a lot of good subjects that way.

Your initial post was actually kind of frightening, as it didn't merely point out a bit of unreliability, but outright deception. Of course, isn't that the same network that rigged a pickup truck to explode on impact for their sensational story on automobile safety some twenty odd years ago? If so, then deception is nothing new to them. I do however, agree with you that reliability is not the news media's strong point - Has it ever been?




You blame Rupert Murdoch for paving the road of sensationalism in news media? Really? I've never picked an argument with anybody on here, but such a blatant, obviously politically motivated statement such as that is just begging to be disseminated. Instead, I will simply point out that sensationalism in news media was around long before Murdoch, and there isn't necessarily anything more sensational about it now then there was in the past.

You're first two statements leave me a bit bewildered. You find a military coup in one of the most politically unstable nations unlikely? And um, isn't North Korea already under military control under their leader?

[IMike]

Has it occurred to anyone else that the whole demonstration industry is misdirected? The police wanted to charge Zimmerman, but the state's attorney said they needed more proof to get around the self-defense plea. I don't know if I believe Zimmerman or not, but disbelief in his story doesn't establish anything. Ignoring what he says, we have a man with a gun who has injuries to his face and head, and another with a bullet wound and no other noticable injuries. Sounds to me that the State's Attorney's call was spot on.

Now the demonstrations are demanding that the police arrest Zimmerman. Why? Because he killed a young black man after suffering injuries? Of course, those injuries were only observed by the police who wanted to charge Zimmerman and the paramedics who treated him, so they should be disregarded as unreliable??? We are coming very close to the position of holocaust deniers, who disregard all evidence of the holocaust as unreliable fabrications because it contradicts their opinion. In this context, that comes out as racial prejudice.

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are not fools. They know full well that the police cannot lawfully arrest a person without knowledge of facts which provide probable cause to believe that he has committed a crime. So why are they, and their cronies around the country, demanding an arrest which, at this point, on the basis of the known evidence, would be illegal and unconstitutional?

Far be it from me to suggest that they might be taking advantage of this tragedy to mobilize black Americans to act in a particular manner in November, or that they are being aided in their endeavor by our "unbiased" news media which continues to trumpet the demands for illegal action. [And in this regard I must congratulate CBS News, which on (I believe) Tuesday recounted the details of the case in its Nightly News program.]

Mike

This post has been edited by IMike: 03 April 2012 - 12:15 AM

[PaulV]

IMike, on 03 April 2012 - 12:14 AM, said:

Far be it from me to suggest that they might be taking advantage of this tragedy to mobilize black Americans to act in a particular manner in November, or that they are being aided in their endeavor by our "unbiased" news media which continues to trumpet the demands for illegal action.

Bingo. Many people think the media just sensationalize for ratings but I think it goes beyond that to a political agenda. In the time that this has been headline news while just perusing daily newslinks I've come across two racially motivated (black on white) killings and one burning of a white kid by a group of black teenagers that received little to no national media coverage. Also on St. Patty's weekend Chicago had 49 people shot and the gang killings continue there unabated. Coverage on this is rather sparse also. That's fine but I think the Zimmerman/Martin story deserves the same treatment. This is not a national issue.

Meanwhile you've got a President who takes the time to inject his two cents into this local case but can't be bothered to talk about Fast and Furious. For those unaware, and who can blame you as it receives scant coverage, this was the supposed sting operation to allow guns to be illegally run to Mexico for tracking. No one in ATF or Justice can provide a good reason for allowing this operation or explain what it was supposed to accomplish. The more cynical amongst us think it was designed to bolster an anti-gun agenda by adding to the body count in Mexico supposedly due to the legal availability of American guns. It probably would have worked as a propaganda tool if the monkey wrench of having a Border Patrol agent murdered with one of the 'walked' guns hadn't been thrown in the works. Not a peep from the President about that one and the Attorney General continues to symbolically erect a middle digit to the Congressional investigation by withholding documents or submitting heavily redacted ones. No one died because of Watergate. It was all about the cover up, or at least that's what the so-called 'watchdogs' tell us. Where are today's Woodward and Bernstein?

And now for something completely different. Back on the China watch I read another blog posting that this coup story actually revolves around the party wonk mentioned in one of the above articles, Bo. Apparently he fancies himself the new Mao and has been erecting statues of himself about his area of rule. He's calling for a new cultural revolution and trying to rally the hardliners. The writer theorizes that this coup report may have been the rest of the party elite 'disappearing' this group and its supporters.

[AQuaker]

Y'all are not standing inside of the shoes of parents of black teens. This is a national issue because we need to examine our policies on gun ownership and why young, black Americans have to play by a different set of rules. They are instructed by wise parents on the art of not calling attention to themselves. What is sad is there are a lot of cases like this that happen every fricking day. The cases do not receive the publicity and most are hushed up.

As for the media, I wish to God they would stop trying cases in the press on television (that goes for you too Nancy Grace), but I do not see that coming to an end until the masses prove that it is not in the media's financial interest to do so. Also, I think it is a sad state of affairs that Zimmerman has to be in hiding, but I do think he is guilty of poor judgement at the very least. Sadly, that is not a crime.

And this little China tidbit is making the news round, China Answers Coup Rumors with Web Crackdown
By Calum MacLeod
April 3, 2012 9:44AM
China began a sweeping crackdown of its social media networks, detaining six people, shutting down 16 web sites and shutting off the comment function for two hugely popular Twitter-like microblogging services. The Chinese web sites went wild with rumors after the unexplained dismissal March 15 of Bo Xilai, the party chief of Chongqing city.

[Dirigoboy]

PaulV, on 03 April 2012 - 12:12 PM, said:

And now for something completely different. Back on the China watch I read another blog posting that this coup story actually revolves around the party wonk mentioned in one of the above articles, Bo. Apparently he fancies himself the new Mao and has been erecting statues of himself about his area of rule.

Paul, I can only suggest that if "Bo's" erections last more than four hours, the dude's uprisings designate him as a stud in this Marine's eyes...
Mileages may vary.

[PaulV]

Dirigoboy, on 03 April 2012 - 03:06 PM, said:

Paul, I can only suggest that if "Bo's" erections last more than four hours, the dude's uprisings designate him as a stud in this Marine's eyes...
Mileages may vary.

:lol: If that's the case he's probably trying to re-enact the Long March vice the Cultural Revolution.