surfin’ news?
by zoss in surfin, repostThis is the last paragraph of a comment by Madeleine Bunting published in the Gaurdian. (The last paragraph of a news article is –according to Chomsky– perhaps the most part worth reading.)What the media portray, like one of those fairground mirrors, is a grotesque species that murders, squabbles, bullies and dies. What gets omitted is the extraordinary ordinariness that keeps people getting up in the morning; the humour, innocence, generosity, love and friendship - the very human characteristics that might begin to inspire more confidence in our ability to alleviate, rather than simply know about, the suffering of others.
I don’t particularly believe that the picture portrayed by the media is always lighter or darker than what really is; However, I tend to believe that it is always somewhat distorted. Thus, I keep this comment as a reminder to always step back and examine the information I’m being presented from the light of all the missing angles. I keep this comment as a reminder, because I tend to forget!
(I also keep it because I like the language.)
keywords: news, media-bias, last-paragraph
mood: optimistic
music: nemo / darkest days
