Having lived in ex-part of USSR before moving to UK when I was 11 years old, well had to seeing as my parents did, who here actually believes that media is anything representitive of what Journalism is thought to be?

Defnition: The activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or of broadcasting news on radio or television

Although it doesn't expressly state it, I would think that Journalism would mean representing both sides of the flip coin rather than just using as a median to brainwash the masses.

I've personally noticed a clear pattern whilst watching TV or reading the papers, so am just wondering who actually follows the events in the media and believes half the shit they spew whilst there is an availability of internet which albeit not the most trustworthy sources, but provide a far clearer picture of the current events?

P.S: I don't mean that only the West utilizies todays greatest weapon, but it seems like it is a much more integral part of peoples lifestyle than in the East. I would see people whom I would consider to be well educated  from both parts of the world, and the ones from the East tend to dismiss the propaganda whereas the Western counterparts tend to be more accepting of the gospel that the media preach. After years of clear rather than subliminal information emission I guess they've probably developed some sort of immunity and skepticism to not be influenced anywhere as much as people in the West.

Oh I meant yes, oops. I don't know actually, I gave up on the news when I got kids. No time to sift through the nonsense anymore. I get my world news from vgchartz now :/ And Google to catch up on something.

"News" is for-profit business in much of the world. That's really all that needs to be said.

The vast majority of journalism is either non existent or serves as an echo chamber to reaffirm the viewers zeitgeist is correct. It is often so poor hard to tell the difference between it and paritym

Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.

As a rule I take most things with a grain of salt. Too many times have I seen articles in newspapers which if you traced it back far enough are probably sourced from some random blog. (though I guess as I am including tabloids like The Sun/Mirror/Daily Mail within 'newspapers' I shouldn't be expecting much better)

Unfortunately yes, I think however that my sample is skewed in this poll, if you're smart enough to pop online and go to the politics section of a video gaming website, chances are you're just as skeptical as me, so you support my point of view. I think it's time to write a news article on my findings.

Which ironically makes you part of the problem. When it was the custom to read at least a good newspaper every morning, there was enough money for the newspapers to do hire and keep good journalists. Once the subscriber count gets down to a critical mass, the newspaper either folds or gets bought up by a "sugardaddy" - and good journalism goes out the door, never to return. Nowadays, everybody starts her/his own "blog" and considers her/himself a journalist. Since young people are reading each other's blogs now instead of the few good newspapers left, they never learn what good journalism is. If they grew up watching Fox News, then the catastrophy is complete.

Well you just have to take everything with a grain of salt, no matter where you hear or read it.

That said, NBC Nightly News does a good job presenting both sides of the situation. Brian Williams and Richard Engel are great.

The best idea is to get news from multiple sources. Every news source has their own biases, even those that attempt to be not biased. If you get it from multiple sources, you get a view from more than one side. You also have to to analyze each story and see what each source is attempting to promote. For example, fox news will try to discredit obamacare, while msnbc will try to promote it.

I know I shouldn't find it amusing in the slightest, but it is ever so funny how many newspapers are under the influence by Rupert Murdoch, with the right agenda, connections or correct money hatting you can spread your gospel so far and wide it's unreal. One man shouldn't have that much power over the unsuspecting.

@drkohler, well by the stuff I've read in some papers and in the "official" news papers, they make the amateur bloggers look like the best in the world of journalism.