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Author Topic: What makes national news?  (Read 2357 times)

Tallpine

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What makes national news?
« on: December 27, 2007, 06:23:44 PM »
For instance the following article:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318229,00.html

Three years ago, a classmate of my daughters' was killed in a small plane crash in Alaska, along with two other members of her family and the pilot.  The story was in the Anchorage and Billings papers and I think that was it.

So how come a similar crash is national news?   It ain't because the one girl survived - it was already featured on Fox News before they had even found the wreckage.

It doesn't really matter ... but it sure gets me to wondering  rolleyes
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Headless Thompson Gunner

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2007, 06:54:37 PM »
Nobody cares about them thar primitive self-sufficient types in Alaska giitin themselves killed in plane wrecks.  That's what they get for avoiding modernity and government regulation and welfare and all that other good stuff that makes a country great.  Serves 'em right.

But when real people die in plane wrecks?  Well that's a tragedy.  That should have been avoided.  Somebody should have done something!
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Boomhauer

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2007, 07:07:24 PM »
Hmm...

The media absolutely hates general aviation, and would love to see it stopped so that only the airlines and the government have airplanes (kinda like how only police and military should have guns  rolleyes ).




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cassandra and sara's daddy

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2007, 09:50:26 PM »
Quote from: Avenger29 on December 27, 2007, 06:07:24 PM
Hmm...

The media absolutely hates general aviation, and would love to see it stopped so that only the airlines and the government have airplanes (kinda like how only police and military should have guns  rolleyes ).






not just the media  we got a nut local  that called the local airport after a few adult beverages talking about blasting planes outa the sky.  he got a ride in the back of a cop car. real career ender for the marine lt col

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2003/072003/07192003/1021209

hes still ranting wild bs   funny in a pathetic way
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Tallpine

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2007, 06:21:24 AM »
Quote
Nobody cares about them thar primitive self-sufficient types in Alaska giitin themselves killed in plane wrecks.

Well, then apparently they don't care about the folks in Montana either, because everyone except the pilot was from our "local area" rolleyes

Our local area being about the size of Rhode Island - anyway, our twin daughters were in the same graduating class as the girl who died, and the class had less than 15 students.  It was a real heartbreak to start their senior year with one missing Sad
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Iain

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2007, 06:35:35 AM »
It's got a lot to do with what else is in the news. Generally been a bit slow lately? I mean I know Bhutto has been assassinated, but that happened in Pakistan right, that's hardly national news.
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jefnvk

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2007, 07:12:14 AM »
National news pisses me off.  House fires in which no one was hurt, someone robbed at knifepoint, etc are NOT national news.

They are simply easy fillers for those that don't want to go report national news.

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Finch

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2007, 07:27:52 AM »
Quote from: jefnvk on December 28, 2007, 06:12:14 AM
National news pisses me off.  House fires in which no one was hurt, someone robbed at knifepoint, etc are NOT national news.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9j7o8ixbrLo

(it's local news, but still represents that sad state of media)
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Tallpine

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2007, 10:13:04 AM »
Actually, this might have been "world news" (per Fox) since it happened in Panama.  rolleyes
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Dannyboy

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2007, 10:47:50 AM »
Could be that the father of the other girl was a dotcom millionaire and then made himself another fortune after the dotcom bubble burst.
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wooderson

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2007, 11:13:40 AM »
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20315232/

a different Alaska crash seems to have received similar attention.

I think this is a case of seeing what you want to see - not all stories can receive the exact same treatment, but there is no ingrained bias against Alaskans or any other verifiable reason for the difference. At best, it's random chance - which plane crashed on a slower news day?
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seeker_two

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Re: What makes national news?
« Reply #11 on: December 28, 2007, 12:06:09 PM »
As a former Journalism major, I learned the big secret when it comes to news......

....most of it is press releases sent to the paper/station by wire services and PR organizations. Only the big, local stuff warrants actually spending the money to send a reporter out. And deadlines are more important than getting the WHOLE story.....

Learning about the media (and statistical studies) in college turned me off of broadcast/print news as a reliable source.....  angry
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