I'd like you to post up a response to each chapter in the book on a weekly basis.
The basic questions are the same:
Also, feel free to express your opinion--agree/disagree or to ask questions issues about which you are not clear.
Your responses should be 300 words or more.
Start first with Chapter 14 "Connecting the dots to Terrorism". Post here by Sunday.
The basic questions are the same:
- What do you think is the main point Goldberg is making?
- What are two or three of the most interesting examples he uses to prove his point?
- In your opinion, how serious is the "liberal bias" described in this chapter? Not very, somewhat, or very? Explain in terms of what you think the public should know about an issue. What are some consequences of not knowing the truth.
Also, feel free to express your opinion--agree/disagree or to ask questions issues about which you are not clear.
Your responses should be 300 words or more.
Start first with Chapter 14 "Connecting the dots to Terrorism". Post here by Sunday.
6 comments:
Chapter 14 – Review
Connecting the Dots… To Terrorism
This chapter emphasizes the fact that the news is sending out what people want you to hear, or as Goldberg puts it, “News you can use.” The media has been feeding our population with news they are interested in and want to hear, and sadly, a lot of the time, try to relate stories to interesting topics. An example in this chapter is on page 1, when they try to “concoct a ratings cocktail by mixing one-part missing intern with ten parts sex scandal.” The media has been found to find topics that interest the general public and relate them and dramatize the media so their company can earn more money. Goldberg says that now even the news is entertainment. On page 196 Goldberg illustrates that when something dramatic has happened to America (911 or J.F. K’s assassination) everyone turns to the news and they gave us the real news on those days, the straight facts of the events. This is something America starved, and that night, it felt like America was closer than it had been before, around a campfire, telling stories and dealing with it together and telling each other its going to be okay. From this chapter we can conclude that politically incorrect statements should not be made. The media must conform to society because if they don’t, they will be shunned and hated. This point is made when Goldberg talks about 911 and the truths about Islam. One of the biggest problems of new bias is leaving out information, leading people to believe the wrong thing. But hey! If it is politically correct and no one is offended, then everything is fine right? Well, in the eyes of the media, this is what they believe. We are being cheated out of the truth because the media wants followers and doesn’t not want to be ridiculed for offensive comments. This is the liberal bias represented in this chapter. This is serious liberal bias because, the public are told lies because no one wants to be offended, but what’s the good in that if we are being lied to? We are being told lies and, whatever we are told from the media, most people do, we must be careful not to follow the media because they can lead us to death if we aren’t careful.
Bias Review Questions: Chapter 6 AIDS
In chapter six, Goldberg is trying to make the point that (1) the AIDS epidemic was way more hyped up than it needed to be. (2) Heterosexuals that were not injecting drugs were also at a much smaller risk than homosexuals, bisexuals and people who inject drugs. (3) It is completely preventable, (4) and how the media distorts the real truth with misleading headlines like “Epidemic Takes Toll on Black Women” (Goldberg 85). The statistics of people contracting AIDS were exaggerated and biased towards gays. Also, the disease only spreads through risky and gay sexual practices. So, not everyone was at risk if they just practiced safe sex. Yet, the media would say that everyone is at risk, and one way or another, its coming for you.
A few good examples that Goldberg uses to back himself up are that he lists some very interesting facts that break down the veiled statistics the media has provided for the public to see. On page 87, Goldberg lists these facts about AIDS carriers: fifty percent of men infected had sex with other men, twenty-eight percent were IV users, six percent were men who did both, etc. Another interesting example Goldberg has is a follow up to my first example. He states that according to the CDC, about fourteen percent of people that had AIDS were listed as “heterosexual contact.” Instantly Goldberg makes the case that this statistic is misleading, or should we say it is disinformation from the media. Goldberg continues to say that the majority of these so called “heterosexuals” got the virus after having sex with an IV drug user, a bisexual, a hemophiliac, or somebody that was infected by blood transfusion. Finally, Goldberg lists many articles and people who take these stats and twist them to sound like heterosexuals are the real ones at risk.
In my opinion, the liberal bias is not emphasized as much in this chapter as in other chapters we’ve read, so I would say it is emphasized somewhere between somewhat and very. I think the public needs to know the actual facts about the issue. Heterosexuals think they are at risk, but all they need to do is protect themselves and chose their ‘partners’ wisely. AIDS has not killed nearly as many as the media predicted too. If people use their heads, they shouldn’t get the virus. The consequence of not knowing the truth may include living in constant fear of the disease, and (if you are not Christian) hindering your sex life.
Chapter 6 – Review
Epidemic of fear
This chapter emphasized the lies told about the AIDS epidemic, and how we were told misleading information. The media was giving us part of the information, leaving out, sometimes, the most crucial part of the information. This misleading information scared thousands of Americans, whether they be heterosexuals or black suburban housewives. The media refused to share to the public that only those that: were actively sexual homosexual males, junkies with dirty needles, or those who had risky sex practices (anal sex) were the only people that were prone to this virus. Instead, it gave statistics, without eliminating all those who had protected sex, and were not homosexuals. Moreover, not only leaving out important information, they totally changed and dramatized the information. They would change the numbers slightly, and more slightly, that before they knew it, they had changed the statistic so much that it was no longer true, the media was lying to themselves, and most of them, believing it themselves too. This chapter showed that teens having unprotected sex were contracting aids because they didn’t have a sole mate. They were having unprotected sex with hundreds of girls and boys and the disease then spreading. This chapter also emphasized that the media did not share that HIV was found in bodily fluids (blood, semen) but let the public believe that if you kissed someone with HIV you could be infected too. The liberal bias in this chapter is quite serious because not having the true facts, thousands were scared that they could catch HIV through having protected, safe intercourse. Some of the consequences of this problem could result in many frightened, and many MAYBE restraining from having sex (safe sex) because they believed they could contract AIDS from any sexual activity. The bias of the media is so powerful, and we must be careful not to trust the news that they send out.
Bias: Review Questions – Chapter 14 Terrorism
In chapter six of bias in the media, I believe the main point Goldberg is making is that the media try to cover up terrorism and blame it on the wrong people. Goldberg talks about how people tried to blame terrorist attacks on Rush Limbaugh and other right wingers that the leftists hate. Then, they lead it back to Christianity and say that all Christians are terrorists. Yet, when 9/11 was clearly run by terrorists, the media were hesitant to say anything about the Muslim community because they were afraid they could lose popularity.
One example Goldberg uses is when a song called “I Hate Israel” surfaced. Almost no news networks reported it because of a sort of racism in the media. They expect these things from the Palestinians but if the Jews did it, there would be a huge uproar. The only few networks that reported it were CNN, NPR, and Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune, and a skimpy overnight story ran on the Los Angeles Times. It’s pretty sad to see that this terrible song can become a hit, even though it is literally hate speech, right in its name. If it were Israel that released the song or a Jew, Goldberg assures us that it would be on the front of every article in America and even extra pieces on it everywhere. Another example Goldberg uses is how the media tried to make the leaders of the Palestinians seems not guilty. He writes how the media showed a video of Yasser Arafet giving blood and expressing his condolences in honour of the Americans. Goldberg reported that the whole story was done with shallow journalism.
In this chapter, I think Goldberg talks about and expresses the liberal bias a lot. So, I would categorize it in the “very” section. The public shouldn’t be led to believe or shown only what the media wants them to see. They didn’t think the “I Hate Israel” song was important. They made the Arabs seem devastated by the 9/11 attacks. People trust the media, and they need to everything possible about any terrorist attack, if it is not confidential to the government or something. Some consequences of people not knowing the truth can lead to ignorance among the public about dangers in society. People start to believe that everyone is peaceful and there is no bad going on in the world. This can become a slippery slope and lead to people lowering their guard, etc.
Chapter 6 – Epidemic of Fear
Chapter six is about the AIDs epidemic. I think that Goldberg is using this epidemic to prove the lengths at which the media will go to, to get money, popularity, and power. I also think that Goldberg is encouraging his readers to be on guard when the media is pushing something and also for them to do their best to discover the facts for themselves. One of the most interesting examples Goldberg uses to prove this point is the fact that after the hype around the AIDs epidemic started to die out because the common people of America were safe, the media started to pretend to that It wasn’t only the drug users of America who were getting AIDs, but others too. This scared the people of America tremendously and the media flared into popularity. Every household of America was suddenly relying on the media for everything, and the media knew it. They used this power they now held in their hand to their own advantage. However, even after the media had terrified every man, woman, and child in America, they didn’t stop at that. Goldberg uses what the media did next as another example of the lengths at which the media will go to, to gain power. Even after all this horror started to die out, the media continued to milk their story for all it was worth. They continued to tell the people of America of the groups of people Aids was taking over, from the gays to the heterosexuals. Soon the media had convinced all of America that they were next. This is quite a serious case of ‘liberal bias’ because the bias in the media is shown through the fact that there were no facts in the media during this epidemic. I think that the public should know about this issue. It is amazing that Goldberg wrote about this in his book, but I think that everyone should be encouraged to read at least this chapter of the book because the AIDs epidemic is something that lies close to everyone’s heart and it is a perfect example of the bias in the media and of the lengths the media will go to to get their own way, to get money, popularity, and power. Some consequences of not knowing the truth can come through the public putting their faith in the wrong people to give them the truth. Once these people trust the liars of the media, they will turn to them for everything, even for matters of salvation, this is how Hitler raised a generation of Nazis. He brainwashed them. This is what the media is doing to this generation and will continue to do to many more to come if no one alerts the public of this crisis.
Chapter 14 – Connecting the Dots… To Terrorism
I think that the main point that Goldberg is making is similar to the point he was making in Chapter 6. This is that the media will put whatever they want out there if it will gain publicity and power, and that they will do anything to get it. In this case, the media is pushing their own views towards the public and do not care if it is fact or folly. Two ways Goldberg proves his point is through the fact that the media (1) fails to mention that the 9/11 terrorist groups strictly follow the Koran and are in fact Muslims – different from peaceful Muslims but Muslims all the same – and (2) that these Islam groups were actually rejoicing in the death of so many Americans. There has been footage of these people burning the American flag, and yet we hear nothing about it from the media. I believe that purposely concealing certain things from an audience is the same thing as lying to them. The media failed to alert the public that these people are dangerous. In fact we have a more recent example of this. In 2011, when Obama killed Osama Bin Laden, the media was all over it and rejoicing in his great achievement. However, Obama had done nothing, ISIS was still terrorizing millions. Yet, recently, when Donald Trump exterminates all of ISIS, the media is silent. What does this have to say about their reliability. In my opinion, the ‘liberal bias’ in this chapter is quite serious. I think that the people of America and the people of the world deserve to know the truth. They deserve to know what really happened. They deserve to know who they can trust and who they cannot. As I said in the response for Chapter 6, some consequences of not knowing the truth can be that the people of the world will put their trust in the wrong people and be killed for it. It is not right for the media to fail to tell people things when their very life depends on it.
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