Are We Stereotypes

[jasreeve17]

Good thread and though-provoking. It explains why many farangs, being fed right-wing anti-Thaksin prattle from the Post/Nation, found it so hard to believe why so many Thais would still vote for Thaksin and didn't trust the coup.

Interesting point Mdeland, I always was also thinking how this applied in out adopted home. It is clear from these posts how we are linked to the media that we choose to watch / read. Here, there is no choice, so doesn't that take it to a whole new scale, a worse one?

(probably can't talk about it on this forum though)

At least the US has choice and you can be critical. The fact that we are saying such bad things about fox, there are alternatives and people have some kind of choice (how much choice, in reality, is a different story...), this puts the US up on the scale for me. A little bit anyways.

[jasreeve17]

Good thread Jasreeve, I'll take the blame if need be.

The thing I like about being outside of the UK is that I can limit the amount of news broadcasting I am subjected to on a daily basis, I can be selective and look at the main points without getting snowed under with rhetoric and propaganda.

I agree with your views on Fox and it's funny to see those that defend Fox use the same kind of right wing rhetoric that is used in the Fox broadcasts, 'if you're not with us you're a leftie' which translates as 'I'm a neo-con fascist' laughable and illogical but Fox news suits their opinion.

Al Jazeera is a very interesting channel, the reporting is obviously pro Middle East, just as every Western station to some degree is pro Western, but it is very good to see another perspective on the major issues in the Middle East, I remember watching it with some Egyptian friends in 1999 when they we're reporting the devastating effects of sanctions on Iraqi people, especially the rise in infant mortality rate, I was unaware of the effects, there were hardly any reports in the Western media, but people of Middle Eastern origin we're seeing the terrible effects on a daily basis, I reallized then what a huge gap there was in perspective between West and East and just how that gap was maintained by the media.

Back to the original question, my news channel of choice is Channel 4 news in the UK, it is impartial without sitting on the fence, it asks the tough questions and brings to light many stories that other news channels won't go near.

The anchor man is John Snow, he is a veteran reporter who has covered many conflicts and disasters around the world and he has a lot of editorial control over the news that is covered.

Yes, Jonh Snow is good - I used to watch him years ago (wasn't he BBC back then?).

I was watching an Al Jazeera piece on the Pakistan / Afghan border yesterday. It was saying that the Pakistan army has more people on that hel_l hole border than there are allied forces in the whole of Afghanistan. They are trying there best but whilst 75% of Afghanistan is not under control and it is so easy for the Taliban / other terrorists to live in Afghanistan, why are they getting all the blame. They were also asking for a little bit of allied forces from the Afghan side of the border as that was the country in turmoil... seemed interesting points too.