Lots of very good advice here in this thread.
As to some big conspiracy of the media to spread disinformation to the general public. I do (after spending a few years in socialist indoctrination training, aka as college) think that the mass media is biased in a very far "left" direction (for the most part). I have seen first hand the disinformation that is spewed out of the media (remember I am in the liberal hot bed from hell, MA).
Case in point.....I was a first responder to an over turned motor vehicle on the highway, the only "victim" in the MV was a nice gentleman who was drunk and singing out loud, happy as hell, and with an open compound FX of his femur (and he was feeling no pain). Anyway, you get the idea of the scene, over turned car, drunk guy still(you could smell the booze from 3 feet away) in there, no real help in the area.
I pulled open the passenger side door to the car, let me say that again I pulled the door open with my two hands and fat ass the passanger side door, so I could get access to the guy. Once inside the car I had a man come over to help who was also an of duty EMTP (at the time I was an EMTB), we both kept him stable and removed him from the car (even after the full response of the local fire rescue and EMS, we were already in the MV and in control of the scene). So after I and my new found partner got him c-spined, boarded, and packaged for transport. We then had to bring the state PD up to speed on what we found when we got there.
The news the next day reported on the accident. The story had all of the delusional fluff and disinformation I have come to hate about the main stream media (at least here in the peoples republik), and how the Husrt tool (aka Jaws of Life)had to be used to cut the victim from his
burning car and that the man had to be
revived by the Paramedic's!!!!! WHAT??? The only thing the responding fire and EMS did was pull the battery cables off and hand me and the other off duty EMTP equip.!!! Wow, I never knew my 200 pound ass, looked just like a Hurst tool (for those that don't know it has a gas generator, about 50 ft of cabling and the tool that has to be set up to be used). Nice spin on the facts eh????
I was a little pissed to see the flat out lie on what happened that day, not that I was looking to get in the paper (I would rather not be in any way, but at least the picture had my bent over ass in the shot, lol). Being in college at the time I set out to find out why the flat out fiction was printed about the incident. I contacted the paper looking to talk to the reporter and was given the run around for two weeks(hmmm I wonder why??). I finally got in touch with the editor (I had to lie to get to him), after talking with him he told me the entire story was based on facts from the State Police Report, I challenged that(told him flat out he was full of shit!!), and handed him a copy of the SP reports, EMS reports and Fire Dept reports for the incident and asked him to show me where "the facts" came from. He turned white and left with out so much as another word to me. He knew he just got caught in a huge lie. So much for integrity and honesty in reporting.
I never did find out if it was the reporter or the editor that made up the story(it was not really worth it to pursue it). I do know that the reporter still had his job at least a year later.
I have over a dozen similar incidents that I was a direct witness to that was not even close when it was reported in the media. If you really think the the mass media is honest, then so be it, I know I look at the media in a very different light, and for good reason.
I do know one thing, shocking and sensational headlines sell papers and advertising slots. Does that contribute to the spin on reporting?? Is it just a monetary issue?? Is there pressure from other sources to report things "our way" or "our view"?? Is the lack of honest reporting an issue with the view point of the editors and upper management?? Can you turn a flat out lie in to truth by reporting it to hundreds, thousands or millions of mindless sheeple??
Anyway, sorry for the long story, it was the only way I could think to make my point.
I'll get off my soapbox
