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Most Americans say media making crisis worse

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posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 03:16 PM
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Most Americans say media making crisis worse


www.bizjournals.com

Seventy-seven percent of Americans think the U.S. media are making the economic situation worse by highlighting negative news and, as a result, lowering consumer confidence and investment activity.

The survey of 1,000 adults was conducted in early December by Opinion Research Corp., which asked: “Do you think the financial press is making the economic crisis worse by projecting fear into people’s minds?”
(visit the link for the full news article)



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 03:16 PM
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Very fascinating contrast between the opinion vested in this poll & the prevailing opinion found here on ATS. Look around here and you'll find scores of posts that indicate many here believe exactly the oposite, that the media isn't outlaying the severity of the coming & current crisis nearly enough. Yet here we see that the average American thinks what little reality the media is reporting on is nothing more than fear mongering.

I find this fascinating because most of the same people on ATS who believe the media is concealing the worst of the news surrounding the economic crisis also are among those who believe the media has fear mongered the war on terror. Strangely, I don't ever recall seeing an opinion poll where the average American believes that, either.

Personally, as with most issues I think the reality of the situation lies somewhere in between. I do not think the media, by and large, has reported this crisis with the true severity the situation calls for. Similarly, I think many on ATS tend to dwell on fantastical overstated 'predictions' of doom and gloom that are unlikely to come to fruition.

www.bizjournals.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 03:44 PM
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reply to post by burdman30ott6
 


I think it is interesting that those polled would consider it that way.

Being told that things are pretty dire, and that the economy is struggling, and that people may lose jobs is a presentation of facts. As you pointed out, if anything, we are being given less a clear view of the grimness of the situation by the media. (As evidenced by the early attempts by market analysts to convince people to leave their money in and "ride it back up" when the market first began to plunge.)

Those who are saying that the media is "making it worse" by presenting facts, so that consumers can make rational decisions based upon these facts about how they should or should not spend, seems incredibly odd to me. Flip it around and look at the alternative, the media lies to us, and tells us everything is fine and people continue to spend as they normally would. How on Earth would that make anything better at all? It might shore up some segments of the retail industry and associated manufacturing for a short time, but since it doesnt address the underlying reasons for the economic collapse in the first place, it would be a horrible mistake for individual people to spend as usual. Homes would still be lost, jobs would still be lost, the main difference is that individual people would be more in debt due to irrational spending while facing those issues.

If anything, the media should be more clear about the fact that we cannot simply "consume" our way out of this crisis. Clearly, people are somehow deriving the idea that if only people would go to the mall and buy stuff, everything would be okay. This is not the case. We are not in this mess because people were failing to consume. We are in this mess because for the last couple decades we have been undermining the American worker by sending jobs overseas, and allowing corporations free reign to lend money to people at insane interest rates without checking to see if these people can in fact afford to pay it back. We have been undermining the basis of our economy, the American taxpayer and consumer by cutting their throat, (making it harder for them to find jobs that pay enough to support our consumerist lifestyle) and then bleeding them from every possible angle with insane credit policies. And our "cure" for this bloodletting is bleeding them further by having tax dollars bail out the vampires that have bled them too greedily in the first place, and then further cutting jobs.

The problem is that no one is really looking at the how and why this collapse happened in the first place. The housing crisis is a symptom, not a cause. The cause is globalization and the slow but steady takeover of the American government by international business interests who dont give a damn about the long term viability of either our country or even their own companies as long as they can grab a large chunk of change for themselves before the whole thing collapses.

Spending more in the short run will make some small industries look better in the short run, and cause more trouble and inherent instability in the long run. The cure is to let this mess continue to crumble, then to look seriously at the rubble and rebuild something sane and sustainable from it. We have been letting sociopaths run our government, and our corporations, that is the problem. Propping up the insane system they created is NOT the answer.


[edit on 2-1-2009 by Illusionsaregrander]



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 03:49 PM
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reply to post by burdman30ott6
 


Its an issue of scapegoating. Some people obviously find certain issues of more concern to them than others. Therefore, when they feel more storngly about an issue, they are more inclined to take offense at the media if/when it does not portray the image or come to the conclusions they desire or agree with.

I think the media-blaming has to stop. Fox News was really the only news network I recall that ever used the fear-factor to a large extent. The culture of fear is a combination of a sources, it does not start with nor does it end with the media. We the people are responsible for the culture of fear as much as the media is. Most importantly, do we not expect the media to be at the forefront of keeping us informed of the economic situation of this country?

And I most certainly agree that the knee-jerk reactions here on ATS are absolutely pathetic.



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 04:05 PM
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I wondered how long it would take for something like this to come out!
Now with no more stories that they can through at us it looks like they are going to try to take the focus off of them and put it on the News Media.

It is like They are saying we now do not want to know the truth. Before this it was we the people caused the whole downfall.


SR

posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 04:19 PM
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More like the dumbing down of the education system over the past few decades has made situations worse as a whole.

If people had been properly educated enough to understand and conceive as a whole the information they where receiving and the outcomes of it and then the basic skills to question the motives behind it, amongst other basic critical analysis skills and understanding alot of people of today lack then..

Well i suppose it wouldn't have taken anyone by surprise or caused blind panic like what usually happens when the masses take what ever is told to them as the 100% truth with supposedly no motive in doing so time and time again.



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 04:58 PM
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Self.
Fulfilled.
Prophecy.

That is about it.

The media will always bring out the negative. Happy news is for kiddies.



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 05:03 PM
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Brilliant!

Now look beyond the current issue and understand that the media MAY be lying about everything else.

Simple as that...

Then your revolution will begin.

Good for you America.



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 05:22 PM
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I do believe the media is over-hyping the crisis. I am not saying we are NOT in a financial crisis. But I do believe the media is using loaded words. Think NLP. This makes us think things are much worse than they probably are.

[edit on 2-1-2009 by kettlebellysmith]



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 05:38 PM
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reply to post by burdman30ott6
 


Wouldn't most Americans also say that the media makes just about anything appear worse than it actually is? I guess they only care when it affects their money.

[edit on 2-1-2009 by cognoscente]



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 06:28 PM
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well pretty much isn't that the idea of what is meant to be going on ????
The US / UK goverment in conjunction with other world banking systems placing constent pressure of the public in order to ring in new changes and the eventual establishment of the NWO ...........

And bieng controlled by the most powerful men / women in the world, the world media just helps push everyone over the side into crisis.....

Looks like all is going to plan so far.......



posted on Jan, 2 2009 @ 07:28 PM
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the news and my opinons on the economy that I have shared on ATS are irrelevant to the media hyping it up or whatever.

The media isn't lettign the people know how dire it is or the media is hyping it up, both topics are irrelevant.

Intensity is irrelevant, what is relevant is staying on topic.

And the Media does NOT stay on topic on the economy or terroism.

they do not speak on why we are where we are.
they speak of the bailout often as if it's the good course to take.
they speak of cutting interest rates but they never say how they will be doing that.(printing money out of thin air)
trillions of dollars overseas
subsidizing foreign nuclear projects
installing puppet govts.

and terroism
they don't speak of blowback
they don't speak of the over 700 military bases in over 140 countries.

so no offense to the OP but no this article is not interesting at all.



posted on Feb, 3 2009 @ 12:20 AM
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Well, that is the media's job. To "inflate the negative." The media needs things in chaos. The media thrives on chaos.

Then, what do you hear from your friends and associates? The same damn thing that was on CNN.

I'm sick of hearing about crisis. Do we want to end the so called "crisis?" Then put the citizens back to work. Make and sell/exchange products. Stop talking about the crisis, and put the train back on the tracks.

Right now, we have executives running around like idiots, "What are we going to do? We need to let some workers go." What does that solve?

Halting production, and letting employees go is the stupidest thing we could do if we want to have a thriving economy. How about increasing demand for your products, and how about promoting more American jobs?

If the economy sucks, it's because we let it become that way. We "are" the employers, we "are" the business owners, and we "are" the workers that push and pull the flow of money through the country. It sure isn't CNN, Fox, or the other twisted media outlets who have the last say in the matter; they are parasites who fatten themselves on our demise. "Yes, all-mighty and powerful CNN, we are in a crisis, a horrible, no, a monsterously horrible crisis. We will not be out of the crisis until you say so, oh master of the TV box. I will fire 80% of my employees tomorrow, master of the TV box."

Snap out of it!

I choose to thrive. How about you? If companies insist on going out of business, then that leaves more room for you to start your own business, right? You can be the one that helps bring sanity to this country. You could be the one creating new jobs for Americans.

Troy



posted on Feb, 3 2009 @ 12:24 AM
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Well, I remember that someone from Citigroup started the whole thing in july 07 with her whole Citigroup isn't worth X... they aren't stable...

That thing started the whole mess.



posted on Feb, 3 2009 @ 12:32 AM
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Honestly i believe our leaders know the severity of the crisis and manipulate the media to report how they want them to. I mean come on i saw a thread early saying we are like 11,000,000,000,000 dollars i debt as a nation. How could we ever get out of that.

I really wish Americans would start thinking for themselves instead of relying on the media to think for them.

This brings me back to a thread i was reading early about the Alen Baldwin Super Bowl commercial. I honestly believe there was some truth to it. It could have been discloser in a way.

But to get back on topic i was speaking with a Army General at work the other day. He had been to just about everywhere in the middle east and was present during the weapons of mass destruction search in Iraq. I asked him for me being a civilan at home and you being a soilder who has lived it, what is the most crediable place i could find news. He told me while they are liberal the BBC tells it like it is.

He also told me that he was sent to an Area in Iraq and before he was briefed was shown an area and told ceartin landmarks had biological weapons and wmd's. Him and his team were suppose to secure the area and if it turned out the objects were not what he had been briefed on to wait and they would show up. He said they went in found nothing, but also nothing ever showed up.

I also went on to ask him about what he thought was going to happen in Iran. He told me he believes Irans people will over throw the goverment. Apparently there is a lot of civil unrest going on there that we do not hear about in our news media.



posted on Feb, 3 2009 @ 12:40 AM
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I also went on to ask him about what he thought was going to happen in Iran. He told me he believes Irans people will over throw the goverment. Apparently there is a lot of civil unrest going on there that we do not hear about in our news media.

Well that's what the US government is trying to do since at least 2 years with financing and arming resistance... you'll understand pro-US resistance, like Saddam was or the Shah.




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