Erstellt am: 27. 8. 2014 - 11:14 Uhr
Today's Webtip: No Angels
This is why I love the internet.
It has given people a voice against the monolithic media culture. It has provided ways for people to not only react to what they have read or consumed but to share their opinions. And to even have those opinions heard by others.
True, that means there is a hole lot of weird being shared, and there is always a threat of people creating their own echo chambers, but I still think that is a whole lot better than the way things used to be.
The most recent example of this is once again related to Ferguson. For some reason a journalist decided it would be a good idea to do a portrait of Michael Brown. One that focused on his love of rap music, his less than stellar grades, and his appreciation of violence. The article starts by claiming that despite Brown's claim of a recent religious experience, he was "no angel".
The backlash was swift, and you can find a decent summary from the BBC as well as many other blogs and media outlets. But the thing I really want to share with you is an article from Boston.com.
There Are No Angels - What The New York Times Won’t Tell You
It's a decent article that doesn't try to explain the problems with the kind of news narrative media and politicians try to create. It simply breaks down the arguments and compares them to the authors own life, exposing just how unlikely it is that any of us could be considered an angel.
And I say us, although this story is about the U.S. Because this type of narrative and manipulative reporting seems to be global.