June 7, 2014 at 9:55 am
Norm Kelly says:
Newspapers must adapt to stay in business. Some of this means adjusting to the digital age.
Some of this means actually reporting news. For most papers news has become an unknown thought. Critical thinking isn't a thought any more. For too many papers, we can no longer call them 'news' papers.
Take the N&D as a perfect example. How can we call this a 'newspaper' while still maintaining some level of integrity. The N&D is simply a propaganda arm of the Demoncrat party. The editorial page carries the demon party talking points without question. The editorial page either endorses the demon candidate for political office or it doesn't endorse any candidate. News articles are riddled with language that supports the demons or calls Republicans derogatory names. The 'news' articles refer to tea people in the same negative terms that the talking points from the demon party leadership uses. When the demon party leadership issues a talking points memo, it can generally be counted on for the N&D to reprint it. When the buffet slayer says ANYTHING regardless of how idiotic the statement or how untrue the statement, the N&D can be counted on to report it. No questions, no wondering, no concern about there being any truth, no evidence, simply repeating it. When a conservative makes any statement or comment, the N&D can be counted on to print it with lots of qualifiers or questions or wonder at the factual nature of it.
So, what am I saying? Am I trying to get the N&D to be kind to Republicans and report the truth about tea people? Yes. I expect the N&D to report NEWS. I expect the N&D to be unbiased in their reporting. I expect the N&D to be a NEWSpaper that INFORMS people without bias. I'm not expecting the N&D to do a 180 and start reporting favorably for the Republicans and negatively about the demons. That would be absurd. What I expect is for the N&D, and papers in general, to report the same way for every story. I expect the N&D to question one group or person the same way they question another group or person. What I expect is for newspapers to start informing people instead of attempting to sway public opinion in any specific direction.
Take the reporting on the Duke coal ash spill. According to the demon party and by extension the N&D Pat McCrory is guilty of creating the ponds to start with, and played a direct & personal role in causing the spill. We expect this type of lie coming from the demon party - they are trying to take control of Raleigh again. But what explains the N&D reporting such obvious lies? What explains the N&D trying to sway public opinion that it's the Republican party AS A WHOLE that is attempting to poison and kill NC citizens? When was the last time the N&D reported that the coal ash ponds were created and ignored when the libs controlled Raleigh? So far the N&D has reported that since the Republicans were put in power (by the voters!), DENR has felt pressured to ignore the laws/rules and NOT do their jobs. What changed that caused DENR to stop doing their jobs when it comes to the coal ash ponds? Well, simple. The demons and the propaganda arm called the News & Observer suddenly found the Republicans in control and easily blamed. When the demons blamed the Republicans, they KNEW WITHOUT DOUBT that at least the N&D would go along with them and many other newspapers in the state would as well. Why did they know this? Because the N&D has a history of following the demons without question. ANd the N&D appears happy to have carried water for the demon party. They have directly blamed Pat and repeated the story that DENR felt pressured by the Republican legislature.
My point may be hard to miss (somehow i doubt that!). News papers need to report news. News papers should not be in the business of telling lies to sway public opinion. News papers should treat all parties with the same level of trust or mistrust. News papers should editorialize ONLY on the editorial page, not as part of a news story. And even then the editorial page should be balanced to the point where they aren't purposely spreading lies. When the editorials in news papers start reporting multiple sides of stories with equal fervor, then maybe the prospects for news papers will improve. But if news papers continue to be rags fit not even for bird cages, they will stay in business only for bird cages or sports nuts who don't get their sports news elsewhere. Turn or burn, as they say.
