Do you believe that the average bourgeois American wants a balanced and objective press?

[Writer]

If not, would you try to influence them? What would you say to them to convince them that this is an important issue?

[Double T]

1. bourgeois Americans want their news the same way they like their hamburgers;........

their way. Lies, fabrications and distortions of the truth are OK as long it is slanted toward their political, social and religious belief.

[leftstreet]

2. What is 'bourgeois American ' code for?

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Middle class, and not even a good slant

:-)

[Writer]

4. You beat me. I was going to answer "something dastardly." n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. And I used the actual defintion... silly me

of course that also means with access to capital... and if we are going to argue technicalities the American Middle Class has access to stuff... not capital.

:hi:

Oh and to answer your question... no they don't want real news... they are happy with what they are given. Mostly bought hook line and sinker all them propaganda.

[Writer]

6. Okay, but I'm going to challenge you on one point:

Why is it that YOU weren't bought hook line and sinker by propaganda?

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Didn't grow up in this country

and I took a few courses in college that helped.

One was marketing, never ever do you see a commercial the same way AGAIN.

On and those heavy readyings of both Foucault and Derrida... it was the IN thing when I was doing my masters.

Oh and where I did grow, we actually had a left... as in a real left.

I also realize this country is as capitalist (per the standards set by Adam Smith in the Wealth) as the USSR was communist, (per the standards of both Marx and Engels)

By the way. the three of them got many things right.

I mean Smith loved his antitrust laws (not that he would call them that way, but when he wrote that governments should prevent monopolies)... and well Marx got it right... workers want power, well they need to organize against capital.

Alas both are utopias...

[Hannah Bell]

17. yes, only you & the other wise DUers are among the enlightened ones.

[Quantess]

7. First I need someone to flesh out the portrait of

an "average bourgeois American", before I can answer.

[paulsby]

9. the use of "bourgeois" aside...

i don't think there IS such a thing as an objective press. the press necessarily has to make tons of decisions as how to frame a story, what stories to emphasize, who to interview, what interviews to publish, etc. etc. such that it is a practical impossibility for it to be objective.

[optimator]

10. I don't think they care

they want to be part of the elite and feel superior to everyone, and an objective press isn't part of that factor.

[cowcommander]

11. The average american cares more about entertainment than news

[historian]

12. i dont think the average

quasi illiterate citizen would know the difference between objective journalism or otherwise. He only wants to read a newspaper which corresponds to his own views and that will make him happy.

[hayu_lol]

13. I doubt if the average American even...

reads a newspaper. Other than, of course, Star, Globe, and the NE.

The state of newspapers across the country reflects my doubts.

[blindpig]

14. The average American worker is not bourgeois

but is a worker. That is the objective reality, regardless of what people have been convinced to think. If the bourgeois wants balanced and objective press they go to the financial page, they're more honest when they talk among themselves.

[melm00se]

15. news flash

There is no such thing as "fair and balanced".

Bias, obvious or subtle, intentional or subconscious, will ALWAYS be part of news reporting.

if for no other reason then there are finite resources to explore, investigate, write and publish the "news" so decisions must be made as to what will and won't be explored, investigated, written and published.

Bias and slant has been part of this process since the beginning of language and will always be there.

You can not legislate or regulate it out of existence.

Support the media outlets that you agree with...but wait...that would, more than likely mean, that they are biased, in favor or YOUR opinions and belief system.

[Ganja Ninja]

16. Actually I would prefer a press that gets the facts and isn't worried

about whether or not they appear bias.

[historian]

21. ah!

but you Are forgetting the very essence of life - THE BOTTOM LINE. Screw knowledge etc just get that money in.

[mdmc]

18. No. They want to be entertained

Thank God for Colbert and Stewart..
There is NO balanced and objective press - there is just business - making money selling -

[Igel]

19. Huh?

Why should the average bourgeois American be any different from the American who departs from the norm or who isn't bougeois?

Everybody slants the news. The goal is to get enough slants and have enough facts and background to be able to detect the slant. Even then, the overall choice of stories is a slant that's harder to get through.

The reporters have confirmation bias. The editors have confirmation bias. The readers have confirmation bias.

Personally, I find it most useful when their bias and my bias are opposed.

[Burma Jones]

20. Nope, most people seek validation of their views.......

Goes all the way back to infancy....

[Echo In Light]

22. No. People identify things prior to actually beholding them

And the US is the most indoctrinated country on the planet, precisely b/c of long term effects of its illusory system of governance.

[WHAT]

23. premature ejaculation...

is juvenile and unsatisfactory to all but one party.