Media, Me & the Masses

I've got quite a few stories lined up for the Echo (school newspaper which fell apart) when it comes back (I bring it back) this year, two being:

• "We're all in the same boat, People."
and
• "Death to the Talkback Kings".

I got the idea for that second one during one of the workshops / skill session we had today during Day 1 of our Pastoral days (Today and Tomorrow). Mr. Miknovich (yes him ... teaching a class (about researching and the internet (he bagged out google :( ) ) ), who's about 45 - 55 years old (no idea really) was talking about how most of his generation grew up in a time where they had very little sources of information which meant that they trusted everything they heard - but these days because there is so much information, from so many different points of view about so many different things - they just apply a filter, to cut down on the amount of stuff they need to digest Enter Allan Jones & What's his name (*) ... So the reason so many people listen to those mindless drivel-ful shows is that they don't actually understand the concept of "being a critical audience", cross-referencing sources, and BIAS. "Mr. Jones said on the radio that "Illegal Immigrant Boat People Muslim Smuggled Terrorisers are Bad", they must be!!!"

My theory is that talkback drivel shows will die as the filter needing generations do, problem is we've got things like Fox News and CNN to fill in the void of rhetoric regurgitation machines.
I heard somewhere that the media today has so many different faces that to get a real (objective) picture you really need to read / listen to / watch a huge range of sources, to be able to see the story properly you needed to watch both the right and left media, But I'm not sure if that's the case. I suppose that you may become slightly paranoid if you are constantly having to think about the accuracy of the news stories you are seeing / hearing, but if you instead put yourself in the shoes of the person being portrayed as the bad guy (/gal), and tried to see their point of view surely we would all be a lot more considerate / understanding / compassionate / Intelligent.

*Benita, is it because women are so far more intelligent that they would never be something so pitiful? I need your knowledge oh knower of all things feminist (what's your aunty say ;) ? )