Brendan Hughes

As many people here have strong views on current world events, but a few seem to repeat news reports without thinking much, I thought this might be of interest (long article). Andrew Marr on how to work out what's important and what's sensationalist crap. (And no, there's no mention of Gilligan )

http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/sto...308492,00.html

MattW

Interesting! Headline in today's paper, "Comeback for Campbell?" Does this mean I can ignore it

OllyK

Start at the front and work your way to the back??

wacky.banana

Brendan,

I admire your attempt to get the newspaper reading Scoobynet community to stop and think before spouting off about political and socio/economic issues. However I don't think you have a cat in hells chance of changing anything on here.

In my experience, gained through observation of the behaviours of friends and colleagues over countless years, people flock directly to those statements that support their prejudices and rarely ever question what they see or hear. In addition it takes a brave or principled soul to stand up for themselves and dare to either be different or to offer an alternative view to the one so eagerly being embraced by their friends.

Remember all the noise on here not so long ago about our borders being swamped by illegal immigrants once they were opened? The silence since then has been deafening. I look around daily on my travels to see if our streets are totally overrun by illegal foreigners from Europe, sufficient to make me lock up my daughters and heed the call to arms. I am still struggling to find these immigrants in the apocalyptic numbers that were being mentioned some months ago during the mass hysteria that overtook all common sense and reason.

The national trait today seems to be not to question anything that's either in newspapers or in the public domain. Sadly I think we are all the poorer for it.

WB

MattW

Have you seen that murder gets you seven years!!!! Reckon I could do the missus in, book a career break, damn site cheaper than divorce.

What you mean it's been sensationalised!!!

Brendan Hughes

W.B - you might be right (in fact I'll put money on it), but:

1. When it takes me 15 seconds to make a contribution like that, I'll do it. I certainly won't spend days, months or years as a political activist however.

and

2. It might be useful for me in the future to say "I told you so"

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

TBH I don't read the papers much at all these days. I got tired and fed up of reading all the opinionated and "what we should think" journolistic crap that distorts, exaggerates and sensationalises everything. I'd rather tham just print the truth and fact of the situations, in an unbiased fashion.

I read the local rags but that's about it. But even then I can't get away from it, for example "21 year old Halesowen man in Impreza Turbo crashes into pensioner's car". Unbiased? Hmmm pensioners car make and model not mentioned, niether their age, gender or address nor the possibility that the pensioner may have pulled out of a junction without looking.

We Love it....I however don't!