baltimore (and everywhere else)

[sg1008]

Pretty much sums up my sentiments about the media:

In One Quote, Morgan Freeman Said What Everyone's Thinking About TV Coverage of Baltimore

For many, this week's mainstream media coverage of Baltimore has left a sour taste. Various observers noted that news cameras and reporters became so obsessed with the riots that they forgot to paint the full picture of a troublesome history of police violence in Baltimore.

Leave it to Morgan Freeman to succinctly characterize those frustrations. In a recent interview with the Daily Beast, the actor succinctly voiced his exasperation with news coverage this week, and in doing so echoed the sentiments of many. First, Freeman posed one simple question: Where were all the cameras before the situation escalated into riots?

"People are saying, 'You were not all there when we were just talking and trying to make a point, but if we set something on fire, all of a sudden you're all here. Why is that? What's the difference?'" he asked.

"Fuck the media."




A big problem in news coverage: News preoccupation with things like property damage diverts attention from the underlying conditions that caused them in the first place, and has misrepresented the situation in Baltimore as one characterized by chaos rather than frustration about an ongoing issue. What's more, community members have united in organizing peaceful demonstrations related to Freddie Gray's death and the aftermath in the city — images of which weren't being shown nearly enough in mainstream coverage.

With officers in the cases of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Rekia Boyd all getting off the hook for killing unarmed black civilians, there's also a palpable fear about Gray's case following in the same trajectory. But that wouldn't be apparent from simply getting one's information from cable news stations transmitting nonstop images of the rioting.

twitter video: They not showing this on the news
https://twitter.com/Let_Me_Work/status/592802176851910657

Freeman also chided these networks for prioritizing detached commentary above reporting about the conditions being roundly condemned by protestors. Between station guests' attempts to blame single-parent homes for raising children who riot to anchors defending racially loaded language such as the use of the word "thug" to describe demonstrators, the news failed to capture the reality of what has led to the situation in Baltimore.

"Look at MSNBC, Fox News and CNN. Go between those three. There's a take, there's a take and there's a take. It's just commentary," Freeman told the Daily Beast. "CNN wants to be pure news, but the others are just commentary. They're just commenting on things."





These frustrations run deep. As Mic noted before, one protester in Baltimore recently challenged Fox News' Geraldo Rivera off camera after the reporter described him as a "vandal."

"You're here for the black riots that happened," the protester said. "You're not here for the death of Freddie Gray."

Thanks to Freeman for summing up what so many have been thinking. Check out the full interview here.

[more links in the actual article below]

http://mic.com/articles/117136/in-one-quote-morgan-freeman-said-what-everyone-s-thinking-about-tv-coverage-of-baltimore

[sg1008]

In case anyone doesn't know what's been going on...

Someone put this together, The Official Baltimore Syllabus

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B_oyOyu_tAwOVq5MY1oJL3orN6ps04O82JxWxnkGpho/preview?sle=true#

[Jack]

It's difficult to say fuck the media, when the media gives people what they want to see. The wealthiest neighborhood in the local area had a fire some months ago which killed the entire family, and that's all the local news reported that day. There was at least one news helicopter, and at times as many as three helicopters hovering over the area for a solid twelve hours, and news trucks parked outside of the gates of the neighborhood televising up to date reports on speculations, while re-hashing every tragedy which had ever occurred in that neighborhood. It's not that it's so uncommon for houses to burn down or people to die in tragedy. What made that tragedy such helicopter fuel worthy news is people like watching rich people die as their house burns down around them. Will admit there's a side of me which is fascinated by civil unrest viewed from a safe distance. Fuck the media? Maybe just fuck me for liking that crap. 

[sg1008]

It's difficult to say fuck the media, when the media gives people what they want to see. The wealthiest neighborhood in the local area had a fire some months ago which killed the entire family, and that's all the local news reported that day. There was at least one news helicopter, and at times as many as three helicopters hovering over the area for a solid twelve house, and news trucks parked outside of the gates of the neighborhood televising up to date reports on speculations, while re-hashing every tragedy which had ever occurred in that neighborhood. It's not that it's so uncommon for houses to burn down or people to die in tragedy. What made that tragedy such helicopter fuel worthy news is people like watching rich people die as their house burns down around them. Will admit there's a side of me which is fascinated by civil unrest viewed from a safe distance. Fuck the media? Maybe just fuck me for liking that crap.

True...yet I think its a give and take...you can try and "sell" the news with sensational reporting that could drive up an addiction to chaos porn, or you can simply "tell" the news. News has now become entertainment...which wouldn't be so bad if there was one major station that actually reported news...but when all the news is entertainment, directed at "customers", and there is no alternative voice, it has an impact.

I guess...thank God for the internet, where there is more freedom and choice.

[Arya Quinn]

I guess...thank God for the internet, where there is more freedom and choice.

For now.

[Jack]

That's the point; it's already a give and take. The news is entertainment based in the negative because that's what sells. Have made the statement before, that people are voyeuristic about other people's negative circumstances because it makes them feel better about their own lives. On some level it's sickening that people find contentment, and sometimes even self-worth, by comparison to people who have it worse than them. Though at the same time can recognize these things in myself, as some of my greatest fascinations are fully equal to my greatest fears.

Fear and revulsion; they are both my nemeses and my best friends.

[sg1008]

That's the point; it's already a give and take. The news is entertainment based in the negative because that's what sells. Have made the statement before, that people are voyeuristic about other people's negative circumstances because it makes them feel better about their own lives. On some level it's sickening that people find contentment, and sometimes even self-worth, by comparison to people who have it worse than them. Though at the same time can recognize these things in myself, as some of my greatest fascinations are fully equal to my greatest fears.

Fear and revulsion; they are both my nemeses and my best friends.

Hmm...I am not entirely sure that's why all people are kinda "fascinated" by chaos porn. I think its more out of an alarmed curiosity like "Omg how did THAT happen to you?? Is this something that is going to happen me too??" and then fishing for answers that will hopefully fail to predict a similar outcome for themselves. Like when a car crashes and all the traffic slows down to have a look, try to figure out what happened, then move on.

I think in the initial instinctual reaction, people see tragedy and imagine/fear that it is happening to THEM...so they pay attention...like empathy in overdrive...I guess evolutionarily if we saw a flood occurring, it WOULD be occurring to us, because there was no newspaper, video or photography long ago. And if you heard about a tragedy, it was likely your neighbor so you'd better pay attention. But nowadays, we're far more spread out and communications are instant...so there's another layer of detachment that has to insert itself after we "witness" a tragedy....and people scramble to either have an opinion, or have a way to get involved.

Problem is- if what people are witnessing is not the whole picture, and only selective journalism based on the initial instinctual trigger, then the subsequent opinions or methods of involvement that people develop could end up misguided... and that would be terrible for whatever the situation really is.

 

I suppose some people get strange "satisfaction"...but honestly...I think the supposed satisfaction/pleasure is the adrenaline from witnessing tragedy....like how people like pretend to crash to the ground and die on rollercoasters, but then they don't and are left with a "high".

[Jack]

Hmm...I am not entirely sure that's why all people are kinda "fascinated" by chaos porn.

Could be wrong about why, or maybe there's more reasons behind the why of morbid curiosity, but still, people don't want to watch positive news. Sometimes find my own interest embarrassing, so do find it interesting the things other individuals seek out in the media; sometimes it's chaos, death, some specific type of suffering, or it maybe some level of delight in stupidity or depravity. So much of tv is filler, fodder, junkfood for the brain; the news isn't any different and it's probably rare anyone is ever presented with the whole story about anything at all. It is what it is, and just happen to believe it's that way because that's what most people want it to be.

[sg1008]

Hmm...I am not entirely sure that's why all people are kinda "fascinated" by chaos porn.

Could be wrong about why, or maybe there's more reasons behind the why of morbid curiosity, but still, people don't want to watch positive news. Sometimes find my own interest embarrassing, so do find it interesting the things other individuals seek out in the media; sometimes it's chaos, death, some specific type of suffering, or it maybe some level of delight in stupidity or depravity. So much of tv is filler, fodder, junkfood for the brain; the news isn't any different and it's probably rare anyone is ever presented with the whole story about anything at all. It is what it is, and just happen to believe it's that way because that's what most people want it to be.

You mean....most people don't watch tv to learn something?? 

[Jack]

I don't really know that many people.

[sg1008]

I don't really know that many people.

lol. I have no idea how many people I know

[Hannah]

valid points...

I like to gather my info from quiet a lot of resources, and then form an opinion if I do at all...I will say that my heart goes out to the family of the deceased and how their wishes were not honored but taken advantage of by those that 'wish to stir up the pot' there are revel rouses who just

eh I find no reason why they do what they do other then to start stuff when in many cases it's expressed to not insight chaos because it really dose nothing but destroy property relations and fester a wound that could heal,

but doesn't because people don't want it to be it for bad news selling or they don't give a crap and want to burn stuff...

I will also say, working hard for something be it a cause, property etc...changes the point of view of 'hey perhaps I should not rush to destroy this or that' the aspect of working to secure something is a good thing,

because it gets energy out in a positive direction and the people that worked for whatever it was they did appreciate said thing, cause, movement more and are stewards of what they put there sweat into...

just a thought...

[Gopher Gary]

Morgan Freeman earned his bazillions from the media. 

[sg1008]

[Jack]

I guess...thank God for the internet, where there is more freedom and choice.

People are strange.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-sun-investigates-social-media-gray-20150502-story.html

I will also say, working hard for something be it a cause, property etc...changes the point of view of 'hey perhaps I should not rush to destroy this or that' the aspect of working to secure something is a good thing,

because it gets energy out in a positive direction and the people that worked for whatever it was they did appreciate said thing, cause, movement more and are stewards of what they put there sweat into...

just a thought...

Not sure of what's being implied, but these statements come across as saying the rioters are people who aren't invested in their community through hard work, and thus don't mind destroying it. Civil uprising can be easy to condemn and criticize; probably have done it myself, but it's also difficult to pinpoint what exactly is an alternative.