Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Right to Knowledge... Factual Media

Is there any objective news?
Give us facts and data,
not opinion.

We can make our own opinions.

Too many news providers today
are really political organizations.
Information is edited, censored, twisted, turned.

Free Press is a media reform group working to change this.

News and political opinion must separate,
just like church and state.
Otherwise, its just opinion,

or fiction...
"Martians invade earth" headline, 2006

Thus, I declare the Right to Factual Media.


49 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with this right. There is a time to inform the public of the FACTS that surround our global community as well as there is a time to discuss or derive conclusions about them. Journalism should be divided into two separate categories. Fiction and non-fiction. Raw, relevant data should always be presented straight and to the point. There is no need to beat around the bush and add unnecessary trivial information that may distract the audience from "the ugly truth." Have you sat and thought how much news is 'actually' good news? For the most part, everything we hear on TV or read in the papers pertains to death, diseases, political turmoil, and catastrophic events. At least you have the right to dream, right to happiness, to even out and balance you from the harsh reality of this world.

GIL RO

Unknown said...

I agree with this right. We should only be informed on the facts which in return will allow us to form our own opinions. In order for us to embrace factual media we must have strong minds, ready to accept facts as they are.

-Nicole Chaplin-

Anonymous said...

The natural right by anybody, newscaster or politician, is to have and hold an opinion. They attempt to persuade those around them to believe in what they do. I do not buy into the bias media effecting the minds and opinions of the public sector because people should have a mind of their own and be able to differentiate between what is right and worng, opinion and fact. We are all given the opportunity to change the channel, switch newspapers, and explore different websites. There is bias in almost every corner of these media outlets and it is up to the individual to formulate their own opinions.

-GP

Unknown said...

To start, this newspaper article was a clear representation of the American reader, the beliefs, and the level of understanding. This tapped into all the tall tales taught to children, and adults could not differentiate from fact or fiction. It is obvious that the writer knew that points could be scored with his or her audience by giving them an exciting story to discuss around the water cooler. In conclusion, it is sad to see that we still have a hold on our childhood.

kevin0121 said...

We should have facts that only pertains to realism, and not fiction. Journalist, twisting words to make it more interesting is wrong and should be banned.

Anonymous said...

Media should be able to control what is reported in a fictional or non fictional manner. It is the companies own private decision as to what is reported. It is the responsibility of each individual to pursue their own opinion on reported information. If you are unable to form your opinion I believe you should not watch daily news. You will probably over react and become paranoid over information that is broadcasted. Here is something to consider. If news reported religious views and structure some would view that article as fictional and others as non fictional. E.S.

Espy said...

I believe the news should strictly be facts, especially when it comes to important things, like presidential elections. I am more of a conservative, but I feel like most of the press was pushing to support Obama in the past election, and then you have some that supported McCain. I just want the facts so I can come to the best decision I can when it comes time to vote.

Anonymous said...

its about time we get some facts out and in the open. for example, all the criticisms that i read are not important to me. the main purpose of the media should be giving out the facts and enough with all the opinions because opinions can go on and on. yes we have the right to express and say what we think but lets keep that to a minimum please.

f.c.

f.c.

Anonymous said...

Factual media should be permitted as long as, they
informed the truth without any intention to miss-lead the general public to a political view.

Ismael DelValle

Anonymous said...

Totally agree!!! we are being fed too much hype and unnecessary bullcrap. --KB

cd884 said...

I completely agree with the right to factual media. I am tired of all the lies and gossip on the media. It is time to inform the people on what is really going on in the world. Its unfair to countries like Cuba where their internet and television is always being monitored and are only allowed to go on and watch what the government wants.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the right to factual media. People should have the right to access real facts and imformation without being fooled or tricked with lies or partial truths.

Anonymous said...

It is wrong how the media has the power to mislead us in such a way. They feed us information that is true. We need to take a stand for factual media and make sure we are getting legitimate information.

michelle said...

I think people should know what goes on globally and should have real information.

Anonymous said...

Today's date Media controls the information they give to their own interest and not with the real fact. Is like when they inform about a hurricane coming, they twist the information in a way to get you crazy so you can go and buy a whole bunch of things that at the end you won't need because is a simple storm and not a hurricane. The same happens with political elections, they sell the politician that best suits their needs and not the one that can really do something for the community or the country. Laura R.

Luisa Isla said...

We deserve to know the facts without bias assumptions. Fox news is always getting a bad reputation for only taking on the conservative side while bashing on anything liberal. In China, the Great Firewall of China was created as a censorship and surveillance over the nations internet. We should not be getting any synthesized or biased opinions on the news, only genuine facts.

Anonymous said...

I believe that everyone has the right to factual media. Facts should not be twisted or manipulated the way it has been for the last couple of years. If someone wants to state their opinion they should do it in another manner. People use the internet as a research database where they can find correct information for whatever they need. Instead of posting things you "think" are right, people should actually consider looking up if what they say make sense.
-Shivani

Anonymous said...

Most media outlets do cover the facts (or the ones that favor them), but it's always the opinion of the host that sways the listener or reader.
-ND-

Luz Mery said...

I agree with the right to Factual Media. I believe we should be given the facts no matter how harsh it may be. I believe they may hide a lot of details to try to keep us hooked to their press.

Anonymous said...

I believe that unfactual media types are garbage and useless. On the other hand people may look at them as some form of entertainment. If so, then these items need to be labled as such so my factual media is not mixed in with stories of cows being abducted for scientific or alien research.

Lisa said...

This is a tough one. Where does it say what you write or talk about has to be fact? If you want to know the truth, then go research it and make your own conclusion. However, where do you search if all that is out there is tainted? lp

Anonymous said...

I think this is necessary. Plain and simple.

-surfershoes

Esmeralda A said...

I agree with this right. We need to be informed of what is happening in our world. I'm so sick and tired of all the cover up and lies that the media say. The media needs to say the truth whether or not it my creates issues. Enough said! EA

Pedro Leon said...

The news should always be made with facts. I can see how politicians might change views to get the story on the press. The Right to Factual Media is the correct way to get news because we need the right and proper news to function. P.L

Anonymous said...

I totally agree, the news should always be factual; the news serves no purpose if it is not factual. Gary Norris

Rosa F. said...

If you can't write the truth, don't write anything at all. It's unnecessary and a waste of people's time and money. --Rosa F.

Patricia Delgado said...

I totally agree about placing the right facts on the media. Today the media has been almost 99% corrupted. Whether you work for a magazine, radio, T.V program, etc. All of these are not expressing the right facts and information. Sometimes even making stories for profit. That is the reason why we have to support the right of factual media.
Patricia Delgado

Anonymous said...

The days when the news we received on TV that was factual are long gone. I feel this is our fault because we want the media to spoon-feed us information and we do not question it. For example the news channel HLN every time I have watched it, it seems like a gossip show instead of the news (media crap). It seems the media has an agenda to push. And are in cahoots with certain political organizations.

Ann Marie

Anonymous said...

Nowadays most of these media outlets want to be the first to break the news rather than to break the TRUE news. Some of the material that is getting classified as "news" really isn't news either.

Eddie M.

Anonymous said...

News should be about the facts and people should make their own conclusions. This is especially true during a political race. It is embarrassing to watch.
Marcia P

Ingrid J. said...

This is a good right, the right to factual media. Any news that the public receives via the media whether it be television, radio or newspapers, should only be fact. The media finds ways to sway the public and instead of giving us the facts they are giving us there opinion. Some of the news we are getting validates the saying that "no news is good news."

Anonymous said...

We need more facts rather than opinions; news are now are more about what people think and say than actual facts. Give us facts and we’ll give you opinions, we already know what we think, we don’t need others ideas of how things should be engraved into our heads.
-D. Diaz

RV said...

We should have the right to factual media. We should hear the facts and not the points of view. Let the people be the judges.

Anonymous said...

I agree a 100% we should have the right to factual media. How can we really know what is going on in the world if reporters are not stating facts just opinions.
Gaby R.

jonathan g. said...

What I'm wondering is "who funds the news?" If it's a private media company, as far as it concerns us, they could make fun of the world everyday. I certainly support this right, but sadly, under the First Amendment, broadcasters can lie or purposely distort news reports on public airways if they wanted to. So I ask, what can be done to promote the right to factual media?

Janet Almonte said...

We all have the right to make our own opinions; however, these opinions should be based on factual information. Additionally, we do have the right to believe in things that are not existent; however, we should never try to convince others of this invalid information. With these factors in mind, we should have the right to investigate and discover.

Janet

RhWim said...

Media should stick to facts when sharing information with the public. The media of today sometimes makes it difficult to know what's factual.

Unknown said...

We believe the picture painters of the mass media are artfully creating landscapes for us which deliberately hide the real picture.

Anonymous said...

The things we say and do are our own interpretations of what is going on, even when we try to be unbiased. Reporters have business and government restrictions, plus guidelines of whatever entity they work for. The right to factual media is very important, and so is editorial media. People need to know what is going on in order to make informed conclusions (but consider the source), develop opinions, and create dialogue that leads to constructive action.
Gabe

Jenny said...

I believe that we should have the right to factual media because we could never distinguish between an opinion or a fact. The media twists the information around for their own benefit in order to imprint fear in the public.

JR

Mirror said...

I am agreeing with the author, media is concentrated in quantity instead of quality news. Reporters do not take the time to find facts; they just get a general idea of any situation to express superficial opinion.
Aimara Ors

Anonymous said...

Factual media is an important right that we should have. Unfortunately, we never going to have it in a hundred porcent because media is manipulated by money.

Claudia B.

Anonymous said...

its impossible to make every news outlet objective, its all about following one you believe to be. it is choice; that is america. we can believe lies if we choose to, at least we are given the education to tell myth from reality. Thats why people who believe everything said in Fox news, the american sheep, are the drop outs, the uneducated and the poor, they can't tell fact from bs, they are people disconnected from common sense, walking brain stems.

JB

Anonymous said...

I also agree with this right. We should always be informed correctly and stop the gossiping and misleading information. GS

Anonymous said...

This is one of those thoughts that always tends to sit in the back of my head while I'm watching the news or reading the paper. It can be very confusing, more like deceiving. If you want to make up stories, let people know they are bogus.--KB

Anonymous said...

Factual media has lost the little of nonfictional information it shares. If we are going to have media based on facts and data it should remain truthful to the story line instead of twisting it into fictional stories based on opinions. Everyone’s got opinions to the point that regarding media it has no substance. – D.T

Anonymous said...

Factual media is difficult to achieve due to limits of time and space. However, the news seems to only provide media that will attract viewers such as a celebrity going to jail. There should be better efforts to give more information that are less biased and more factual. -v.p.

TrustMeImADoctor said...

Media is given to us in the most obscure way, most of it being 90% bad news and the rest being somewhat positive on top of the fact that most of it is bologna makes it a waste of our time. I believe most of the facts are cut out of media and when something bad happens it is automatically linked to some radical Muslim organization. I truly feel that media is a way to distract the citizens from the real truth, all the while they are feeding us with misinformation and trying to keep us away from the facts.

Unknown said...

The right to factual media is very important, as long as they present true and correct facts.