Hillarysworld

Obvious hoax confirms media gullibility, laziness, lack of curiosity and the death of journalism in America
Posted on October 19, 2009 by Uppity Woman

I didn't really keep up with the "Balloon Boy" story, but according to Uppity Woman, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it was likely a hoax, early in the game. She makes the point that their negligence in investigating this story, is just one more example among many, of MSM dropping the ball.

Maybe "Balloon Boy" embarrassed them enough to actually begin investigating and reporting accurately and OBJECTIVELY in other cases, as well.  Maybe it'll serve as a wake-up call for MSM to get over their collective cases of Tingling Leg Syndrome, and report the news without subjecting us to their own biases, prejudices, and ignorance.  Maybe, but I doubt it.


Good thing we went for the Heavy Duty tin foil!
Here at Uppity Woman’s blog, and I’m sure at many other blogs and sites where people who have some sense hang out, when the “balloon boy” story “broke,” we looked upon the entire incident with jaundiced eye. Our common sense and some semblence of an IQ told us instantly that this story was raw bull****.
Not so in the case of American so-called journalists and reporters.
Our networks and news channels followed that ridiculous balloon everywhere it went; Talking heads were wincing and gasping at what was to become of this poor little con-artist-in-training–while we smelled another Octomom rat in the making. I mean, look at that thing! It’s straight out of  1950s Science Fiction, for God’s sakes!
” Oh Me Oh My!111!1!!!!!” the reporters crowed.
A boy in the balloon!
Oh look! The ballon hit the ground!  Gasp!
But….but….there’s no boy in it!  zOMG!
What if….what if….. what if the poor little boy fell out of the balloon and is road pizza even as we speak!
Whew! He never was in the balloon!  A happy ending! Happy! Happy! Happy!

Come on boy! Milk it with me!
His parents are sooooooooo happy! Happy Happy Happy!
Let’s interview them. Over and over and over again.  And again. And again.
So what if  the kid’s parents are two crackpots who have already participated in the Wife Swap show. Twice.  Okay so the father chases hurricanes and takes the kids with him,  as we all do. Right?
I mean hey, listen, this could happen to ANYBODY, right? They were  inventing a flying-saucer balloon that would hover over traffic right there in their garage, as we all do. Right?
A quick trip to youtube would reveal what a complete and utter crackpot, nutjob family this is.  Ten minutes watching Dad, with his hair carefully styled to look normally windblown, and you knew you were in the presence of  the poster boy for the word Dysfunctional. But when you are uncurious and lazy, why bother? Besides, this is getting ratings! No sense of rocking that ratings boat! The raping of the Middle Class in America is sooooooo boring compared to this!
“I know!” they crooned. It’s the ratings, stupid. So what if everything we tell you and show you is bull****. So what else is new?
Let’s cover this story some more and show America just how gullible and uncurious we really are! Let’s show America that we are so tabliod that now the National Enquirer actually gets news right before we do. Especially if it’s news we don’t want you to hear,  like the truth about Al Gore’s own balloon hoax,  or how America’s wealth is being transferred overseas. You know, that’s just boring ****.
“And let’s do this right,”  they crooned.  Let’s haul  out the video of the little con-artist-in-training hurling puke on two network shows.  Look how the interviews just keep going even though the kid warns he’s going to vomit. Oooooooh are there any chunks???! This is greaaaaaat for ratings!  Let’s show that puke video at dinnertime, our viewers will LOVE that, don’t you think?
Let’s pretend this is a serious story and we are serious reporters, neither of which is true any longer.
Journalism in the USA:   Many of us knew it was already flatlined during the 2008 primaries and election. It was unplugged from life support last week when someone switched off the microphone of an environmental journalist who asked Al Gore to address the 9 gross lies in his Inconvenient  Academy Award movie.  Yes, Journalism was already dead. But a balloon story– that was such obvious bull**** that only a fool would buy it — provided the burial plot.
Now journalism is buried. Say goodbye and accept your closure. Throw a flower on the casket before we lower these jokes called News Channels into the ground where they belong.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — The parents who set off a worldwide drama by reporting their 6-year-old son was inside a flying saucer-like helium balloon hurtling over Colorado concocted the stunt to market themselves for a television show, a sheriff said Sunday.
Geeze, what a surprise.  I’m shocked. Shocked I tell you.
Alderden said the parents Richard and Mayumi Heene “put on a very good show for us, and we bought it.”
You did? Then I can do your job better than you can and I don’t know squat about police work.  I truly hope you never have to solve a murder.
Once the device landed, sheriff’s officials discovered it was made with plastic tarps taped together and covered with aluminum foil, with a utility box made of a very thin piece of plywood, cardboard on the side, held together with string and duct tape, Alderden said.
I’m rolling my eyes here.
But not to worry. They will get their reality show right after they get probation. After all, the networks have to help them pay off that half million dollar fine, with a nice chunk left over. And who knows? Maybe they can get the kid to hurl chunks again in episode three. Americans will be so happy while their constitution is  being ripped to shreds by the new International Law–they will hardly notice.
Crime. In America, it pays. And apparently, so does stupidity.

snip

http://uppitywoman08.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/obvious-hoax-confirms-media-gullibility-laziness-lack-of-curiosity-and-the-death-of-journalism-in-america/



-- Edited by freespirit on Monday 19th of October 2009 09:05:33 AM