The Current Events, News, and Politics Thread
Boost Pope
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Is that what defines "mainstream?"
Not the fact of being a linear, 24/7 program stream which is created by a staff of professional producers and editors who are veterans of CNN, Fox News, and similar, and distributed via conventional cable and satellite TV providers?
As opposed to being principally an internet-based mix of opinion pieces and commentary assembled from a mix of freelancers and independent "citizen-journalists" with no accountability to a traditional legacy corporate structure?
I'm asking seriously, here. What defines "MSM" in this context?
Admittedly, our ratings are in last place.
Is that what defines "mainstream?"
Not the fact of being a linear, 24/7 program stream which is created by a staff of professional producers and editors who are veterans of CNN, Fox News, and similar, and distributed via conventional cable and satellite TV providers?
As opposed to being principally an internet-based mix of opinion pieces and commentary assembled from a mix of freelancers and independent "citizen-journalists" with no accountability to a traditional legacy corporate structure?
I'm asking seriously, here. What defines "MSM" in this context?
Is that what defines "mainstream?"
Not the fact of being a linear, 24/7 program stream which is created by a staff of professional producers and editors who are veterans of CNN, Fox News, and similar, and distributed via conventional cable and satellite TV providers?
As opposed to being principally an internet-based mix of opinion pieces and commentary assembled from a mix of freelancers and independent "citizen-journalists" with no accountability to a traditional legacy corporate structure?
I'm asking seriously, here. What defines "MSM" in this context?
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,457
Total Cats: 6,875
In March of 2021, it had only existed for about five months. So that's understandable.
Still, I agree with your conclusion here. That chart draws a distinct line between traditional print and broadcast media companies, which have editorial boards and long histories of journalistic endeavors (with the exception of the New York Post, which is a tabloid), versus those which came into existence during the internet age, utilizing non-legacy distribution channels, and more importantly, ignoring the gatekeeping function of the professional editor in favor of a freewheeling mix of opinion, commentary, speculation and hyperbole.
Boost Pope
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,457
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There are a lot of YouTube creators, for instance, who pull in a lot more viewers than conventional media outlets. And while Joe Rogan may have 122x as many subscribers as The Washington Post's total daily circulation (that's a true figure, btw), Joe Rogan isn't a journalist. Much like an AM talk show host in years past, he presents derivative material and conjecture which he makes to appear news-like, but whereas WaPo employs several hundred actual journalists, Joe Rogan employs a few comedy writers and publicists.
(You can substitute the names of any podcaster and any newspaper you like here.)
And I think that this highlights a flaw in the basic concept of using the term "Mainstream Media" in the context of news reporting. Because news is one form of media, but so are soap operas and reality shows. And, as for mainstream? This is the 21st century. Twitter and TikTock are a heck of a lot more mainstream than NPR or The New York Times.
To date, whenever I've used the term "Mainstream Media" (or Mazdaspeed Miata) in this thread, what I meant, and what I should have said, was something more along the lines of "traditional news media." Eg, those entities which are actually attempting to perform credible journalism, regardless of whether they happen to have an implicit bias for a certain socio-political position or another.
Also, I have confirmed that this is in fact the actual sign which The Wieners Circle (a local hot dog shop) had up yesterday:
Boost Pope
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,457
Total Cats: 6,875
Also, if that were real, the troons would be absolutely sperging over "prefered gender." That phrase is a trigger for them these days.
Last edited by Joe Perez; 09-13-2024 at 12:21 PM.