--- Media Double Standards - Christchurch Mosque Shooting ---
At its core the media has but one goal, to sell papers and get clicks on their articles, after all it is how they make their living and make them dolla dolla bills yall. Often they print whatever they want to and if they are wrong.... they can always put a 'correction notice' hidden away in some back corner of their paper some time afterwards and all is well.
But what about when they deliberately manipulate readers thought and opinions based on how they present news articles and data to serve a particular agenda ? well that falls more into the category of what is called "Spin".
Spin:
In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through knowingly providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure.
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Make no mistake, the stories put forward by news and media outlets are designed to influence thinking and there is a deep psychological element which is at play in the design. First and foremost is the understanding that "thinking is hard" and may people just dont want to do it, 'cognitive strain' can lead to considerable discomforts such as cognitive dissonance:
Cognitive Dissonance
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort (psychological stress) experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. This discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a person’s belief clashes with new evidence perceived by the person. When confronted with facts that contradict beliefs, ideals, and values, people will try to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.
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As human beings we tend to try and avoid these situations as best as possible, i mean who really wants to put themselves in situations of discomfort right ? In our attempts to avoid these adverse effects of mental strain we seek comfort in simplicity, the path of least resistance, in things we know and understand, things we like and make us feel good... we seek 'cognitive ease'
This is what is preyed upon by news/media, they know we are in a default position where we are ready to be led like cattle to whatever position they want on thoughts and feelings... if they frame things a certain way. Repeating a narrative over and over again makes us more susceptible to believing it over time.
Another key factor in influencing our thoughts and opinions is social identity theory, creating groups for us to be part of, identify with and even defend to the death in many historical cases. When we perceive the membership of these groups as being part of our identity, as something which defines us for who we are, it can create a burning desire within us to take aggressive actions to all those who may not be part of the "in group".
As such, focusing on the particular differences between the groups is a fundamental part of creating that divide, selling the drama, and evoking an emotional response with those who 'identify' as part of particular groups. This only fans the flames and fuels the fear... and sells papers and gets clicks.
What you will notice in the diagram is that there is a 'favoritism' for the "in group", what this means is that when either group perform an act which is undesirable the perspective will be:
The In Group
Will seek means of justification,understanding for those actions taken by the group member (ie make excuses), or find means of disqualifying the member as a rogue not representing the group as a whole (ie not "really" one of us, we are individuals)The Out Group
Will base the action as a fundamental part of the 'out groups' belief system as a whole, Will seek to stereotype the out group (ie "thats what they are all like" no individuals).
This exaggeration of the in groups inherent "goodness" and exaggeration of the out groups inherent "badness" is what fuels the conflicts between at the extreme ends of the scale, what creates the stereotypes at the considerable ends of the scale, and creates the environment those in the middle must suffer who 'fall into' categorization of 'extremists' based on perceived affiliation due to particular traits.
We can see that there is a clear hypocrisy which exists in the methods of thinking , however , this often can not be "seen" by the group members themselves. When confronted with such in formation there is often adverse reactions due to the cognitive dissonance within the understanding of the construct and its application to the self.
and THIS is exactly where the news and media sit, right on that edge fueling bias and conflict for the sake of the dollar, for monetization of the suffering of the common people trying to make their way through life. Don't believe me? Allow me to present to you a gleaming example of the construct defined within this article.
The Frant: Christchurch media double standards breaks down the media coverage of the recent New Zealand Mosque Shooting and more than reinforces the points highlighted.
Conclusion
The news/media manipulates our perspective in a great number of ways, not just those highlighted within this article, and it can be difficult to decipher the truth and facts of any story presented. Where are the lines being blurred? how is the story being framed? what are they trying to get the population to think? what is the endgame? These are all reasonable questions that we can ask ourselves, but we will not be able to definitively produce an answer.
What we can do is think critically, observe the narrative, see where they are stretching beyond their means, look for the holes in the story, where things dont make sense. Becoming accustomed to the tactics used and how the method is applied is a key actor in countering attempts of manipulation. For the most part it is not about finding out what the truth is , but knowing not to listen to the lies.
The fact is that life ain't easy, thinking for ourselves may be hard, it may cause discomfort, cognitive dissonance, cognitive strain, etc. but isn't it better than allowing others to manipulate our mindsets, thoughts, and feelings? Questioning our reality is a fundamental part of our existence in life and on the planet for the time we are here, lets not give that away to others who's intention is purely to take us for all we are worth.
So its up to us, if we want the truth we are going to have to work for it , search for it asses it, think about it... and what we find may not line up with our beliefs, but it is what it is. I guess it comes down to this, do i want to face the unpleasant truth or be comforted by a lie.