Is the mainstream media trying to make you look stupid and crazy?

I finally started reading the news a couple years ago and recently noticed those 3 military UFO videos that were released. So everyday I now search for alien and UFO news in hopes of seeing disclosure or first contact.

That’s when I started noticing the news sites often spin stories about ufos or aliens or conspiracy theories in ways that make people look stupid, delusional, cray etc. They seem to also post a lot of stories with fantastic headlines to get your attention then show a mars rock or something.

It’s depressing to me because i once looked with excitement for stories but now I noticed I seem to be being conditioned to think people really are stupid and crazy. At the same one I also feel like the news outlets are doing a disservice to humanity by bashing the hell out of regular people trying to share their stories and making themselves look like a-holes.

Is there an actual agenda to discredit certain topics?

a reply to: Tyred

There's almost always an agenda in media, though it's not always for nefarious reasons. Even different alternative news and indie news companies can have their own agendas, such as pro-home remedy sites always giving positive interpretations of any news regarding the use of natural herbs for self medication.

You should check out this "Reporting and Writing Basics" article from Reuters' "Handbook of Journalism". It covers a lot of the things you're noticing, such as #5 which is titled "Make the headline strong". And since Reuters is a powerhouse in international news, it'll only help to know this.

a reply to: Tyred

That’s when I started noticing the news sites often spin stories about ufos or aliens or conspiracy theories in ways that make people look stupid, delusional, cray etc. They seem to also post a lot of stories with fantastic headlines to get your attention then show a mars rock or something.

Ridicule as a weapon.

It's worked well for them so far. It's easy to discount these things, or make fun of people who have, until you see something in the sky one day that you can't explain.

Is there an actual agenda to discredit certain topics?

I think that its obvious for anyone who takes a good honest look at this topic. The MSM is used as a tool to condition the masses, not keep you as an individual informed.

a reply to: Tyred

UFO reporting in the MSM is usually filed away in the 'Weird' section alongside Indian boys with small tails and albino squirrels in Utah. They don't usually care about the quality of their UFO articles and probably rely too heavily on YT videos to pad out the content. Yes, you're right to pick on the vibe that they think it's all for jokes.

If there's something worth reading about, you'll always find it on one the sites linked below. Try them out and see if you like them.

The Daily Grail - 'Alien Nation' section.
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DeVoid - 'The only mainstream media UFO column.'
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The UFO Chronicles - Frank Warren's UFO news site
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UFO Conjectures - Rich Reynold's beautiful site for novel ideas
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There are a few more out there and I remember how much fun it was to find them. I'm all jaded now lol

a reply to: Tyred

It’s depressing to me because i once looked with excitement for stories but now I noticed I seem to be being conditioned to think people really are stupid and crazy. At the same one I also feel like the news outlets are doing a disservice to humanity by bashing the hell out of regular people trying to share their stories and making themselves look like a-holes.

Same here. The control of the airwaves, print and the inerwebs is complete. You will never get the whole truth and nothing but the truth from any media.

When you do, four disnfo specialists will promptly show up and paint false narratives, ridicule and marginalize the poster and any content to obscurity.

a reply to: Kandinsky

What are the odds that any of those sites carry one single personal story told here?

a reply to: Tyred

Is there an actual agenda to discredit certain topics?

Yes there is , In the past I've interviewed a number of people that had encounters (The netherlands). The only advice I can give to people that have experienced anything (UFO or ET) is not to tell anything because there is no point in sharing information regarding the subject. Eventually almost all 'victims' become ridiculed. And after more than 50 years of 'ufology' there isn't any progression regarding the subject as a result of the attitude of the main stream media.

At the moment it seems that everyone is obsessed with trumptics and politics anyway

Asking if the media has an agenda is the same as asking if your jeans make your ass look fat.

You already know the answer.

a reply to: Tyred

The problem with the MSM is they only cater to their target audiences due to political demographics and advertising revenue which comes from vested interests.

I did a couple of radio shows and i'll tell you this-if you don't adhere to the sponsored media's worldview, clear out your desk. the same applies to news channels-FOX and CNN are notorious for these practices.

originally posted by: Tyred
I finally started reading the news a couple years ago and recently noticed those 3 military UFO videos that were released. So everyday I now search for alien and UFO news in hopes of seeing disclosure or first contact.

That’s when I started noticing the news sites often spin stories about ufos or aliens or conspiracy theories in ways that make people look stupid, delusional, cray etc. They seem to also post a lot of stories with fantastic headlines to get your attention then show a mars rock or something.

It’s depressing to me because i once looked with excitement for stories but now I noticed I seem to be being conditioned to think people really are stupid and crazy. At the same one I also feel like the news outlets are doing a disservice to humanity by bashing the hell out of regular people trying to share their stories and making themselves look like a-holes.

Is there an actual agenda to discredit certain topics?

Well, there has been a certain fishy vibe I've noticed going on in the media (and also with celebrities and politicians) for quite a few years now.

It's not exactly what you describe but it's close. What I think they're doing is they're using celebrities and basically anyone who has any name recognition at all to intentionally make living caricatures (straw men) for the masses to attack in order to manipulate the public. And they present it in such a way that people take it seriously.

The public obviously does not know this so they take it seriously. Some "senator" or "mayor" or someone somewhere makes a blatantly racist comment in such a way that it's bound to get national coverage. Now why would any intelligent person do that? Oh, that's right. They're not intelligent. They can't be because their base has a lot of libertarians in it. Yeah. That kind of thing.

In that way, the people you are voting for are intentionally (I think) smearing you and forcing you to defend them. You voted for them because they're libertarian (or whatever). You didn't have any clue they were going to go out and make some racist comment or fondle some woman somewhere or something. But after the fact, you feel like you have to defend them because politics.

It's the same thing (really) that happened with OJ Simpson. If he had been any ordinary person off the street, he would have probably been convicted and would still be in prison. Everybody knows that. But.....he was famous. And they dragged racism into the mix. And that dragged up a lot of pent up aggression and resentment that really had not much to do with the case. A lot of people couldn't deal with the fact that someone they had admired might have done this. A lot of black people probably could relate to feeling like they were railroaded by racist cops and a racist system, for example. It does happen. OJ was not victim of racism but he happened to be black and you know? Most people see what they want to see.

But you had a lot of people actually defending someone who appeared to be a psycho murderer. Not because they really thought he was innocent. But because they felt some deeper connection to what they thought he stood for.

They're basically backing people into a corner where they feel forced to defend things they don't support and never did.

The stereotype is that conspiracy theorists are a bunch of crazy people who will believe any off the wall theory and will not even try to be objective. So, what does it take to get a reasonably objective conspiracy theorist to defend something that really does seem crazy? Well, if you were to concoct a nutty theory and inject it into the mass media as though someone was actually taking it seriously, you have the perfect recipe for sabotaging the conspiracy crowd. Because a lot of us would feel compelled to give it a fair hearing even if it does sound completely absurd.

And as soon as you do that, you live up to the stereotype and someone points and shouts "See! We told you they're crazy! Listen to them! This is what they believe!"

And of course the irony of it all is if someone wrote what I just wrote in a newspaper or a magazine or something, it probably wouldn't sound too sane or reasonable to most people. Because who would do that? The media just isn't that clever. Why would people who thrive on free speech sabotage free speech? It doesn't make any sense!

Well, all I can say is the best you can do is try to stay objective and avoid getting into "debates" that are based on things like a well known football player grabbing the microphone and making a Hitler speech or something like that. You might feel compelled to defend the guy's right to free speech even if you despise what he said. What the public will hear is you defending an antisemite and that's the label that's gonna stick. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Refuse to defend his speech and everyone agrees that freedom of speech has limits and you lose. Speak up and point out that everyone has the right to speak and you get branded an antisemite. But not just you. Anyone who agrees with you. Really, the only way you're going to come out of a situation like that not being thought of as some kind of KKK type of person is if 90% of everyone joins you and says "Yep. The guy is wrong but he has the right to speak". And that's just not going to happen.

This is not directed at the UFO community, or ATS.
I marvel at the intelligence I see on ATS, TBH.

Do I think the MSM is trying to make us look stupid?
No...not exactly.
I do think they try to keep up stoopid and/or uniformed.
How many times have you rad an article, hoping to learn something...and walk away scratching your head and wishing for those minutes back.

I think we as a society are getting more stupid....and I do think it is intentional.
I think much is it is due to the "education" system at all levels.
I think a lot of is is due to PCness.
I think the media does play a part.
And I think other factors enter into the "dumbing down" of our society.

a reply to: frenchfries

There have been times I had to ask so I could get a frame of reference for some things that I had experienced- that I couldn't (and STILL can't) find any information on, it was experienced by me and from 1-3 people, depending on the insanity involved-

And I got a lot of ridicule. Hell, I had something happen yesterday which left me kinda speechless, and I got the 'treatment' from a few people.

a reply to: wylekat

Well it's a pitty that humanity/internet can't offer any solution for people that have experienced a phenomenon.
At the moment there is (my opinion) really not point in sharing. People judge and condemn or even worse start to ridicule people that have had experiences (Even in forums that should be openminded)

What's worse is that humanity as a whole , cannot combine it's forces to solve the 'UFO' problem.
And that (public) science doesn't even consider the possibility that 'non-humans' could be a real factor in everyday live.

Good luck with finding an explanation for your experience(s).