Public interest or ratings?

[Ms Piggy]

Taking this back to the topic originally posted...

Cathy - are you seriously suggesting that children should be watching the news?

At the end of the day, it happened, they're allowed to report it, and they will sensationalise it as much as possible in order to get the ratings. Commercial reality unfortunately.

Our kids don't watch the news for a damn good reason. It isn't G rated.

But reality often isn't.

Hey Simon - no I'm definitely not saying that kids should watch the news, particularly because of the increase in graphic pictures and commentary.

Due to the news being aired at 6pm I assume that it's a lot more likely that little Johnny or Suzy will see and/or hear something that's not appropriate - let alone the fact that I'm seeing and hearing things that I don't need in my head!

It may be a reality but I don't like it, I don't like it one bit. If they (media) want to report in minute detail what was done to Ms Elliott maybe they could keep that sorta detail until the late news. Not when I'm having my dinner.

Actually Simon I never knew the news was rated - comes from not having kids.

[Goblin]

Taking this back to the topic originally posted...

Cathy - are you seriously suggesting that children should be watching the news?

At the end of the day, it happened, they're allowed to report it, and they will sensationalise it as much as possible in order to get the ratings. Commercial reality unfortunately.

Our kids don't watch the news for a damn good reason. It isn't G rated.

But reality often isn't.

It's not just that it's on the news at 6 but all the adverts leading up to the news as well as radio news.

Easy for you to say that kids shouldn't see or hear that kind of gutter journalism but its out there! We cant bury our heads and pretend it's not happening.

Maybe a huge public outcry can get this crap out of the media?

[riffer]

Easy for you to say that kids shouldn't see or hear that kind of gutter journalism but its out there! We cant bury our heads and pretend it's not happening.

Mate. I'm not just saying it. My kids DON'T get to watch the news.
I believe this is the best idea. I don't believe in censorship in any form, excepting kiddie porn. But I can choose what I want to watch, or what my four children see.

Remember, this isn't made-up stuff; it's what our fellow humans are doing. And I'm sorry if you don't like what you're seeing. To a certain extent the media are trying to hold up a mirror to society; if things appear to be more violent it's possibly because they are.

Don't watch if you don't like it. And make sure you let any survey-takers know this too. Or write to the people who advertise between 1800 and 1900. Because news lives and dies on advertising revenue.

You can't stop them broadcasting reality. But if the advertisers get antsy about their sales then perhaps there's a chance that the newstellers may change the way they present it. But unfortunately in today's commercially-driven market I can't see it happening.

[Goblin]

Yeah, I know.

Malcolm in the middle is far better.

Just pisses me off to see that creep given so much publicity. He's playing the media and law system like a freakin circus!

Im gunna write a letter!

[Number One]

Ms Piggy I agree. I am so fucking tired of having 'news reporters' talk to pictures of dead bodies being carted away and asking inane questions of affected family/friends along the lines of 'so how do you feel?'.

I don't believe they are 'doing us a service' by putting up a mirror to show us how truely horrible some people in our society are....I didn't need the news to point it out for me.

ALSO - Easy enough to get your kids to not view the 6pm news however they do like to intersperse kids programmes with those terribly important 'news updates' which also tend to include the 'controversial dead body shots'.

A police car passed us the other day with lights blaring. My 5 year olds first words were 'they are going to go kill someone'...that's what he learned from those all important 'news updates' Police are there to kill people....how nice

As for this creep Wetherston - he is a smug fuck head - I hope he is treated as he deserves in prison...and I don't mean with heated floors and LCD TV screens either. I just want to slap his smarmy face...whether she was an angel or not is irrelevant - he admits to killing her, he did a pretty nasty bloody job of it and now he sits up there like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. A PSYCHO if ever I saw one...critter.

Thanks for this thread Ms P - I needed a chance to say all that

[Ms Piggy]

Remember, this isn't made-up stuff; it's what our fellow humans are doing. And I'm sorry if you don't like what you're seeing. To a certain extent the media are trying to hold up a mirror to society; if things appear to be more violent it's possibly because they are.

You're right it's not made up but it's also not the reality of the world. My opinion is that it's teaching society that we have a right to invade people's lives (dead or alive) and we should all be allowed to see dead bodies, cars with blood smeared on them and hear what a deranged man did to his ex girlfriend when he stabbed her over 200 times. It's not good journalism - Goblin and others are right, it's gutter journalism.

I also don't believe it's all bad news in the world, there are lots of good things happening everyday but because they're not sensational or don't grab ratings we all go around thinking the world is an evil place (no I'm not saying the world is wonderful and fabulous...I'm not naive). I guess what pisses me off is it's not balanced and it's unnecessarily graphic.

Don't watch if you don't like it. And make sure you let any survey-takers know this too. Or write to the people who advertise between 1800 and 1900. Because news lives and dies on advertising revenue.

It's not as simple as "turning it off". I'm not happy with it and I want it changed (which I know is like pushing the proverbial up hill). I have a right to be able to be informed about what is going on in society without having to hear the gruesome details - why is that necessary? I'm not saying it shouldn't be aired, I'm saying it should be aired appropriately, i.e. the 10:30pm news not the 6pm news.

[Ms Piggy]

Thanks for this thread Ms P - I needed a chance to say all that

Well said No.1

[Ms Piggy]

Im gunna write a letter!

I emailed TV3 last night - the letter I sent the paper. I doubt I'll get a reply.

[jrandom]

If it bleeds, it leads, and the ratings don't lie.

Ever since the invention of mass media, there have been hand-wringing women writing in to complain about its tastelessness (no offense, Cathy) but that has always had and will always have precisely zero effect.

You can't change human nature, and most humans are ghoulish rubberneckers.

It's not about 'public interest'. Gosh. It's simply about getting advertisements in front of the largest number of ghoulish rubberneckers possible.

[Usarka]

Public interest would be publishing positive stories so we don't dwell so much on the negatives of life.

Unfortunately as stated that doesn't sell.

Step right up, get your doom and gloom here!

[MSTRS:Me]

It's not about 'public interest'.

No, it's about how far the boundaries can be pushed....
Did anyone notice the clip of the prosecutor? Several times he said the word 'fucking' as part of something he was reading out to the court. Isn't that normally bleeped out prior to 8.30+?

[gwigs]

That smug Fuck is Guilty,Guilty,Guilty.........its murder not manslaughter.....stab someone twice I might believe it was manslaughter and he didnt mean to kill her
but 200 times .....the guys a fucking pyscho.....he just thinks hes clever...
Hope he gets a big hairy homo for a cell mate...

[Genestho]

Hmmm, I can see all sides here.

When the invasion of Bagdad was going on, we had constant updates (We wern't watching the News!) of - how many dead, filming of the missiles etc, I worried about the impact of that on my son! Why speed up the loss of his innocence? (HAH - never mind it was about to happen a year down the track anyway!!)

So I wrote an email to the TV stations.
The reply in not so many words was:
You can change the channel, or turn the TV off.

As a person who has been hounded by media, we DO have the right to turn the media way, and request that we are not filmed.

So don't think for one minute privacy is being invaded.

The media sells what is on demand, it feeds the masses, people want to see greif, death and loss of dignity.

Which is one of many reasons - why, in a moment of clarity I decided I did not want to be interviewed for TV back in the day.

Quite frustrating now though, when I am interviewed in News papers, the reporters will only dwell on the story, and not the positive outcomes!!!!
Which in a way is good, because maybe it reaches and teaches someone!

Personally I don't watch much telly, I'm too busy living my own reality!

[vifferman]

No, it's about how far the boundaries can be pushed....
Did anyone notice the clip of the prosecutor? Several times he said the word 'fucking' as part of something he was reading out to the court. Isn't that normally bleeped out prior to 8.30+?

Yeah, I noticed that.
The news sucks. For a start, it's formatted: "they" have decided we need so many minutes of each kind of story, so the news is manicured to fit that format, regardless of what is happening in the world. Secondly, most of it isn't realay informative or important - it's basically gossip, sensationalism, gloating over every little bit of human tragedy, blowing things up out of all proportion, and milking every item (like swine flu) for all it's worth.
Unfortunately, it's human nature that this is what many/most people want. Even more unfortunate is that in large part, we've been conditioned to expect news of this kind and in the format "they" have decided we want.
Most media is like this though: we were subscribed to The Haroldfor years. I realised even if I tried to read everything in the paper, almost all of it was the written equivalent of white noise. I was lucky if I could remember two (2!) things - usually one thing that pissed me off enough to notice, and one thing that was amusing.
Waste of time and money.....

[sunhuntin]

only thing id like to change would be for them to stop giving that crackpot air time for blathering on about shit unrelated to the case at hand. so he was a perfect student? whoopdie fuck. so she was promiscuous... well, arent most girls these days? not related to the case, then it shouldnt be bloody shown. its not news, its him getting his jollies.