i have recently switched my newswire of choice from the associated press to reuters. why?
1) reuters is a british, rather than american, news wire service. while i feel kinda guilty having this knee-jerk reaction against american wire services, the fact is that a foreign publication has a lot of easier of a time getting away with saying things about easily-offended bigoted loudmouths from rosie o'donnell to pat robertson.
2) MURDOCH ALERT! rupert murdoch has recently been appointed to its board of directors. i've mentioned my animosity towards him in previous posts, and i don't think it's hyperbole to suggest that he could be the most dangerous man in the western world.
3) fabrication of false media narratives. while this is purely anecdotal speculation, the ap seemed to be just as in love with reporting on hillary clinton's dead-on-arrival campaign, long after it was clear that she was statistically eliminated. articles with headlines like "can she still win?" rather than "she can't still win" are deceptive.
4) i see way too many stories near the top of the wire like this one:
QUINTON, Va. - A Virginia man lost about 80 pounds in six months by eating nearly every meal at McDonald's. Not Big Macs, french fries and chocolate shakes. Mostly salads, wraps and apple dippers without the caramel sauce.
Chris Coleson tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December. The 5-foot-8 Coleson now weighs 199 pounds and his waist size has dropped from 50 to 36.
The 42-year-old businessman from Quinton says he chose McDonald's because it's convenient.
among the things not mentioned in the article: exercise plans, other pre-existing health conditions, or anything else to dissuade the reader from thinking that this guy could be mcdonalds' answer to subway spokesdouche jared fogel. in fact, this seems to me to have a striking parallel with television news' tendency to air corporate-made pr puff pieces disguised as news.
i may be reading too much into some cutesy bullshit story, but dammit, there's real news to be reported.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
the all-brawndo diet
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2 responses:
dude, reuters is a real P.O.S. too. The other day they had a piece entitled - "McCain favoured over Obama for economy." Trouble was it failed to mention that he was favored by Wall Street analysts.
Also inside the same article there were dissenting opinions to the headline but there was no intimation of that in the front page so that anyone reading just the headlines would get the false idea. The message boards were flooded with complaints but they did nothing over the course of the day to issue an apology or a correction.
I read the McDonalds story and kinda liked it. It just makes the point that even in a fat trap like a fast food resteraunt you can make healthy choices if you want to. Sure, it may be an advert for the company but I don't really mind much because what it is advertising is a healthy option to be had during a meal there. I for one never bought into the whole idea of legislating the food served in resteraunts and think removing super size options is stupid. Responsibility lies with the consumer and with a little help from the guys behind the counter one should be able to make the right choices. Its the same as limiting shots in a bar - a truly abhorrent idea to the drunk in me.
actually, for the most part, mcdonald's salads, etc. are hardly what could be considered much of a healthy alternative. speaking from the perspective of a guy who used to take absolutely terrible care of his body, these sort of articles and stories provide your less educated fatty with the perception of a shortcut to weight loss - very few of these stories ever mention the exercise involved (or amphetamines, or self-induced vomiting, etc etc).
you are absolutely right about anti-fatty legislation - it shouldn't exist, nor should lawsuits blaming companies for making you fat. if we can't trust people to make their own sane decisions about their health, can we even trust them to vote?
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