Still on that same old thread...

[conuly]

And I've got a question before going into the important stuff. Why do people assume that if you're an anti-Semite, you must also be a Nazi? Can't black people hate Jews? Or Asian people? It's racism, that's what it is! Assuming that only white folks can hate. *gigglesnorts*

Seriously, though. A tangent arose in my mind when it came to the news. See, I had tired of arguing reasonably with the troll silly young man, and decided just to bash him with links. Some of them were just "the first ones on google for a particular search" and others were ones I'd seen before. And while explaining the benefits of using many different news sources, I wondered... where do my friends get their news from?

Besides, I love polls. That's the benefit of having a paid account. So... [Poll #268680]

And finally (not part of the poll proper):

What is/are your favorite source(s) of news? Example: The Onion, the NY Times, Fox News *screams*.

Comments

[pehanoie.livejournal.com]

On the last question I picked other. Those politacal parties confuse me o_o

Believe it or not, I am interrested in politic and the workings of the world. I just never know what to say- there is always more I don't know.

My favorate source? Does the Daily Show count? The world is pretty bleak, but it's nice when you can laugh at it.

[conuly]

Um. They aren't political parties. Just ways of viewing the world.

And sure, the Daily Show counts IF you use it as a news source. Sometimes, comedy is a good source of news.

[rachelkachel]

I'm very dependent on the internet.

I actually get most of my news from the Corner on National Review. They tell me if anything important happens. I also look at CNN.com occasionally, but it bores me. If I want an actual news site I generally go to ajc.com since it's local and all... I used to keep up with the Salt Lake Tribune but I got bored and angry with it.

Housing has just started some program which gives us free newspapers (NY Times and USA Today) so I might start reading those... probably not, though.

I also frequently check on scrappleface.com, snopes.com, and (recently) IMAO.com, but those aren't actually news, or not usually.

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

This is probably going to sound totally off the wall, but my favorite source for news is Tech TV with shows like "Call for Help," "The Screen Savers," and "Tech Live." Of course, it is only technology oriented news, but that narrow focus is probably why I like it.

[conuly]

Well, I had wanted more political news, but that's okay, we can't all be interested in the same things.

[conuly]

The NY Times is teh r0x0rs! Especially the Science Times and the Times Magazine. You should try reading it. If you don't like it, you haven't lost anything.

[zarriq.livejournal.com]

I tend to use the BBC.

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

Heh, I thought that was more what you were expecting, but I decided to through in that curve ball anyway. Besides, I don't know what my favorite political news source would be. I end up watching MSNBC and CNN the most out of all the news channels we have, but I wouldn't say I it's my favorite source.

[conuly]

I do too, at times, though my mother is more likely to put on Le Soi (can't spell in french... sorry)

[eofs.livejournal.com]

I chose other as my primary source. This is because I don't really have a primary source, but my use of each source does vary. Whilst I'm at uni I very rarely read newspapers (though I ought to start reading The Guardian on Mondays,) but at home I would have a look at it most days of the week. Similarly at home I might watch the news with my parents after The Simpsons has finished, but here I'm more likely to go and cook tea (and the late evening news I'm often out for at uni.) So it does vary a lot.

As for my favourite news sources... I'm a Guardian broadsheet newspaper) reader. That's how I've been brought up and I'm quite happy with that state of affairs. It's also encouraged by the fact that students can buy it for 20p which is, frankly, a fantastic idea. Because I read The Guardian when I read the paper, I've traditionally used the BBC for my online news so I can get a different perspective. However now that I'm at university I'm not reading the paper, so I'm tempted to switch my net news source over to The Guardian. This is largely because I feel the quality of the BBC's news site has dropped horribly. It used to be a lot better than it is now.

Of course, ask me again in a couple of years and I'll hopefully answer "I look at the running order for the day and see what stories we're covering - I don't watch the news, I *make* the news."

Hopefully ;0)

This (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/consumer_audience_research/tv_audience_reports/new_news_old_news.doc) might or might not be of interest to you. It's a survey that was carried out last year by two of the TV watchdogs over here When I went to hunt for my link I got to a page that said "The ITC has ceased to exist" Oops. Call myself a TV student, I completely forgot about the abolition of the ITC, BSC et al and the formation of Ofcom ;0) Searching for it on the Ofcom site I annoyingly found an article that would have been really useful when writing the essay back in October :0P (I could have actually had a source for stuff on the 2003 Cambridge convention, instead of just referring to lecture notes.) Bah.

'scuse me, I'm rambling. It's hard to stop me once I get started on these things ;0)

If you're interested (though I don't know why you would be) I have a faaaaaaascinating essay on proposals to allow minority broadcasters to be impartialy in their news broadcasting.

Thought not ;0)

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

For general news, I really like sfgate.com and pick up more "personally important" info by reading commentary on YahooGroups/LJ/blogs. (Chances are if I'm into a special topic, somebody else I know is too.)

I used to read Salon.com and Slate.com religiously but both have gone *really* downhill since the millenium. :-(

Beyond that, I go with Wired and Slashdot for most of my science/tech news. They occasionally have really good articles/discussion, and far more often will include a link to a topic I'm interested in on another site.

I'm curious how many other people used to discussion groups of various kinds now become frustrated when faced with non-interactive commentary... I still love books (I'm a huge DWJ fan too - did I mention she's autistic?) but for news/social media, I'm only comfortable if I can enter dialogue about it. :)

[conuly]

I'm a huge DWJ fan too - did I mention she's autistic?)

Openly, or are we speculating? I've still got the burns for pointing out to somebody that "Well, Einstein didn't talk until he was four!" is a poor argument to use when somebody is worried that her child is autistic. Gah, I *know* he wasn't diagnosed, people! I'm just saying...

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

You know, it amazed me. Someone once told me blacks can't be racist, because it's when whites hate black people. I said "no, it's when you hate someone of a RACE." And we argued. For a long time. It was like arguing with a wall but I couldn't help myself.

Then Ethan walks in (he's "Kenyanese" as he likes to call himself) sits down and says "I fucking hate whites, they're all pigs. What does that make me?" "....Uh...." "Point made. Now hold still while I spork your little brain out. Eugenics is fun!"

Why are whites the ONLY people capable of hate? I just... don't understand it. I've seen some pretty racist blacks/hispanics/asians/etc, but no one's ever jumped down their throats.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it. My old school had a huge problem with 'reverse-racism' Believe me, it's very, very real. And very, very overlooked.

I guess it's just 'cos we have the history of being the ones to act like that.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

You didn't just... did you?? *open mouth stare*

[conuly]

Y R U BN MENE 2 MEH???????

[catsluvdmb.livejournal.com]

NPR and The Daily Show....

DWJ says she's undx but fairly sure...

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

DWJ herself says that she's fairly sure that she's on the spectrum... I wrote one of the fan lists last year right after I got my bachelor's degree, explaining about how her titles had made a huge difference in my life as an autistic, because her protagonists tend to be very autie-like.

A few days later, one of her best friends contacted me privately in email, explaining that she saw my letter, printed it out, and read it to DWJ during a bad editing session. She said that they hung out discussing DWJ's traits -- synaesthesia, literal interpretation of language, awareness that she's somehow extremely different from "real" people, lack of ability to grasp/appreciate hierarchy, central auditory processing issues...all kinds of stuff. DWJ mentioned that she always *assumed* that the reason she's so different is because her childhood was so bizarre, but considering things like synaesthesia that *can't* come from childhood issues, she feels she's more likely autistic and wanted more info on possibly being diagnosed.

Reading her autobiography at <http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/autobiog.htm>, I get the impression she's autistic as well. She explains things as her just being too young (while no NT child of the same age would make the same odd interpretations), or having a grandparent that spoke Welsh (when she says she hears musical language in her head that "isn't English"), or being left-handed (extreme dyspraxia-type issues)...all kinds of things! Same sort of "explanations" most of us have before we realize that they only apply to us, not other folk.

I'd say it's more than speculation, once the author starts agreeing and dredging up neuro-traits like synaesthesia or CAPd.

Re: DWJ says she's undx but fairly sure...

[conuly]

Okay. All that makes sense. I just like knowing where I stand with various personages.

Same sort of "explanations" most of us have before we realize that they only apply to us, not other folk.

I'm a lefty, that's why I can't tie my shoes has got to have been the silliest one of those....

[polaris-starz.livejournal.com]

I use all these sources some of the time, though I really should more often; I actually tend to turn up the volume on my headphones really loud during the news, because hearing about other people's miseries makes me feel horrible for sitting here in front of my computer and doing nothing. Even though I'm not out of school yet.

And there's also the fact that I don't have many people to talk with this stuff over, as my best friends are online and my fellow students don't pay much attention to anything beyond the five o' clock news, if that. I really should start reading the paper, though.

Don't know what to say on the first topic, but it brings to mind how black kids at my school will call themselves the "n" word (which I would write but for the kerfluffle it might cause), but anyone else who did so would be looking for their head. Or how everyone-- even whites-- freak out over books such as Mice and Men (though none of my classmates have yet) and Huckleberry Finn, which use the word, even though the reason it's used is because the word was vernacular at the time, and just another way of saying "black."

I always liked the term "colored," but people look at you odd if you use it now.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Just realised I didn't say what the survery was about ;0)

It was about the sort of stuff you're talking about - what's your main news source, why do you use/not use this news source, do you feel appropriately represented by this news source and so on. It's about 100 pages, so I don't know if you'd want to read the entire thing (I wish I could still find it in pdf) but it's worth a skim if you're interested in such things.

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

When I bother to look at news (which I usually don't, because it depresses me) I use myway.com. Dunno why.

[strangelette.livejournal.com]

What is/are your favorite source(s) of news? Example: The Onion, the NY Times, Fox News *screams*.

NPR if I'm at home. I really do love NPR but I don't get reception by my desk this year. NYT, CNN.com, BBC, Financial Times (although not as much as I should), and some of the direct routers/AP feeds Yahoo gets.

I swore off TV news a while back. I simply refuse to watch it if I'm controlling the TV and generally request it gets changed or just ignore it if I'm not. I'll still watch PBS or a little BBC America if I'm bored but neither are a primary news source. My reasoning (post 9-11, post DC sniper, living in a major metropolitan area) is I'll decide when I'm going to be scared, damnit; I don't need Aaron Brown, Anderson Cooper, or Dan Rather convincing me I should be.

As for the "other" I checked in the poll: my professors. I'll seek out recommended news sources and they can help influence the news I pay attention to in any given week.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

My favorite source, so far, is the local TV news in this area, a certain station. They seem to be candid and face various issues and state facts AND occasionally put in some well-thought-out viewpoints (and they note when they do).

Otherwise, my main source of news is friends and internet, but I try (sometimes fail) to go somewhere trusted (Reuters, for example, if online) to check it out.

[pehanoie.livejournal.com]

On the last question I picked other. Those politacal parties confuse me o_o

Believe it or not, I am interrested in politic and the workings of the world. I just never know what to say- there is always more I don't know.

My favorate source? Does the Daily Show count? The world is pretty bleak, but it's nice when you can laugh at it.