Results: I used to naively believe the role of the media was to report the news and inform the public. It now seems their only goal is to generate profits for the publishers. This means left wing or right wing bias with no middle - because that is what sells.

In the aftermath of the George Floyd death, there were protests, peaceful and otherwise and "calls to action." This was reported in the media but was sometimes (always?) "massaged" to meet a specific editorial objective. I came across the attached clip today which gave a photographer's view of the events. His comments raised issues I hadn't seen in mainstream media. If you are interested, please share your comments after watching it. If you are not interested than simply click the N/A option. Did you learn anything from this clip?

When it comes to the media, we can be made to think almost anything is real (just like in the movies) and, given the money at stake, no expense is spared (just like in advertising) to influence how we think, behave etc. If you disagree with my position on this, just look at the attached clip. Did your perspective change while watching the clip?

The legal/illegal pursuits of Donald Trump have dominated the news in Canada and I assume they have done the same in the US. One of the most lurid examples was the Stormy Daniels hush money trial. I was surprised however about how the gag order seemed to allow perjured testimony to go unchallenged and/or unreported by either the left or right wing media. Regardless of your politics, does the attached clip raise any concerns? (Other than the expletives used).

With 2 months to go (approx) until the US election there will be lots of news about it, some fake, some biased and some factual. It will be difficult to know which is which and our voting decisions might be influenced by it (a lot of money will be spent to attempt this). Can we ignore what the media is reporting or even should we? I found this clip to be an interesting take on this. When so much money is being earned from us and being spent trying to influence us, should we just trust our gut feelings when we vote? (like I do)

The video clip in Q4 suggests that Trump supporters are more likely to share fake news stories (however that is defined). Whether this is true or not is open to debate. What is a pattern however, both in Canada and the US, is that the central areas of both countries, which are the furthest away from the seat of government, are more inclined to be self reliant and middle to right wing. Perhaps they are more trusting of the media in general provided it supports old style traditional values. As of Jul 30, 2024, Fox News Channel is number one in all of television. Note that the top 3 are far away from the middle of the political spectrum. Does Fox news cater to that "conservative" group simply because it is more profitable? Comments?