Let me ask you this, how many people that watch the show actually think it through for themselves and try to find out more about what is portrayed there? It is safe to say that maybe ten percent of viewers actually take the time to investigate such issues themselves, find out about all sides of the situation. The remaining ninety percent will take it as gospel.
"It's on TV so it must be true! I hear about fracking on the news every day and those journalists don't lie!"
That is the problem I'm trying to highlight and something the people in Hollywood and the Centers of Power use to their advantage. We live in an era where the ten-second soundbite is King of the Hill and will run the narrative even if the background clearly refutes it. With fracking one side claims it's responsible for everything from groundwater contamination to earthquakes in certain regions. They claim companies use harmful ingredients in the various fracking fluids and are not receptive to actually naming those ingredients. I know of companies that actually try and come up with better fracking fluids.
On the other side, you have the actual companies who use fracking processes. You hardly hear their side, apart from in professional publications in the energy or investment sector. Most of the media, however, when reporting about it, almost exclusively trot out opponents and when they do deign to invite or interview someone who actually is in the industry, they use talking points, don't let them finish answering, hammer them with all kinds of nonsense etc. that in the end, it looks like the oil and gas industry has something to hide. After all, it's called investigative reporting, right? We all know reporters are supposed to be objective and impartial, right? So, them hammering that naughty oil man must mean that he's guilty, guilty, guilty, right? He's a junior J.R. Ewing and we know how bad he is.
The generation we live with now has learned everything they need to know from watching TV. They can not get it into their minds to actually crack open a book or anything to find out how things, events etc. actually are. They see it on TV, on the news, read it in the papers and to them, it's Gospel from on High. There is no more curiosity.
http://goo.gl/ij6Ob
The link above, though it only has one comment, shows exactly what I mean:
'The underlying important story of "fracking" is America's dirty laundry (not just a Dirty Little Secret) and I was pleased to see the subject addressed in prime time on a great show! If you don't know how hazardous fracking is and how it damages the environment and peoples' health....google it and get angry! Energy companies are, once again, lying through their perverbial teeth...for profit regardless of the consequences.'
The ignorance drips off of it. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, to this viewer it is. And with him/her, there are many more who believe the same.
"It was on TV! So it must be true and you're an idiot if you don't believe it! Or you're in the pocket of the oil companies!!!!!!"
If you really think that it was just a careless hack, think again. TNT aka Ted Turner's pride and joy can and will do whatever it takes to push their agendas. And the majority of people will follow like sheep instead of using their brains and actually dig deeper.
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Date: 2012-06-14 10:00 am (UTC)"It's on TV so it must be true! I hear about fracking on the news every day and those journalists don't lie!"
That is the problem I'm trying to highlight and something the people in Hollywood and the Centers of Power use to their advantage. We live in an era where the ten-second soundbite is King of the Hill and will run the narrative even if the background clearly refutes it. With fracking one side claims it's responsible for everything from groundwater contamination to earthquakes in certain regions. They claim companies use harmful ingredients in the various fracking fluids and are not receptive to actually naming those ingredients. I know of companies that actually try and come up with better fracking fluids.
On the other side, you have the actual companies who use fracking processes. You hardly hear their side, apart from in professional publications in the energy or investment sector. Most of the media, however, when reporting about it, almost exclusively trot out opponents and when they do deign to invite or interview someone who actually is in the industry, they use talking points, don't let them finish answering, hammer them with all kinds of nonsense etc. that in the end, it looks like the oil and gas industry has something to hide. After all, it's called investigative reporting, right? We all know reporters are supposed to be objective and impartial, right? So, them hammering that naughty oil man must mean that he's guilty, guilty, guilty, right? He's a junior J.R. Ewing and we know how bad he is.
The generation we live with now has learned everything they need to know from watching TV. They can not get it into their minds to actually crack open a book or anything to find out how things, events etc. actually are. They see it on TV, on the news, read it in the papers and to them, it's Gospel from on High. There is no more curiosity.
http://goo.gl/ij6Ob
The link above, though it only has one comment, shows exactly what I mean:
'The underlying important story of "fracking" is America's dirty laundry (not just a Dirty Little Secret) and I was pleased to see the subject addressed in prime time on a great show! If you don't know how hazardous fracking is and how it damages the environment and peoples' health....google it and get angry! Energy companies are, once again, lying through their perverbial teeth...for profit regardless of the consequences.'
The ignorance drips off of it. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, to this viewer it is. And with him/her, there are many more who believe the same.
"It was on TV! So it must be true and you're an idiot if you don't believe it! Or you're in the pocket of the oil companies!!!!!!"
If you really think that it was just a careless hack, think again. TNT aka Ted Turner's pride and joy can and will do whatever it takes to push their agendas. And the majority of people will follow like sheep instead of using their brains and actually dig deeper.