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Columns

Forrester and the media

Tuesday, September 18, 2012



Dear Editor,

Why does your columnist Clare Forrester, a veteran journalist, find it amazing that there are inconsistencies in how competing news media entities in America or elsewhere frame their news stories according to their hegemonic role and political affinity? What is new about them making misleading or exaggerated claims that the public attention they command as in viewers, listeners, readers, online fans, et al, is superlative? What is so remarkable about the role of the socail media platform Twitter when more people get lost in the darkness of their own ignorance in this space which, unlike traditional media, makes no accommodation for the luminous engagement in detailed inquiry and substantive learning?

Beyond inaccurately ascribing to the commercial news media uncompromisingly high standards of accurate reporting, regardless of the adverse business repercussions, her citation of various media entities for largesse of "false" news reporting is pointless. When did the standard of proof of accurate reporting become the corroboration of one media entity's report by another? Certainly, this has persuasive value but cannot suffice. It is most unfortunate that Ms Forrester, by not grounding her case against the media entities mentioned in her column in interrogation of their claims, beyond comparing them, has only left us convinced that her "light" may not lead us out of the tunnel of ignorance to which mainstream media may have conspired with other "high powers" to confine us.

HW Dennis

peeceepress@yahoo.com



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