Yikes- 2 bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon

[Alan]

The media banging it to death I understood. What I didn't understand is how little I've seen of the tragedy down in Texas.

It's all about priorities. The New York Times has apparently criticized Fox News for spending airtime covering the tragedy in Texas rather than the gun debate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/bu...bate.html?_r=0

"...That would come as news to Fox fans, who have heard comparatively little about the subject. While most of “Joe” was dedicated to guns on Thursday, Fox’s morning show, “Fox & Friends,” didn’t mention the word once. It focused instead on news about a Texas fertilizer plant explosion..."

[Tradd]

I've been glued to it - twitter has been a better source of information than the media. Given when I see things on twitter and when the media reports it, I wonder how many of them are using twitter for information as well.

I've not sent a single tweet, but I find Twitter to be invaluable as a news source.

[RosieTR]

Even NPR had 24/7 coverage here in CO. So boring with the same stuff over and over. Glad I had an mp3 player in the car.

[sweetana3]

Never have so many said so little for so long. (media that is.) Even Anderson Cooper was boring and looked stressed at having to ask nonsense questions and keep the camera busy.

[bUU]

I'm glad the President made a point of acknowledging the tragedy in Texas and pledged the resources needed to recover and rebuild, promising that those affected have not been forgotten.

[CathyA]

The people in the Texas tragedy must feel totally forgotten/abandoned. I don't understand why stations couldn't have shared their time with that story too. NBC seems to be the worst. They sent Matt Lauer down there, and I don't think they even used any of his stuff.
Kim Jong Un must have been really ticked off. haha

[SteveinMN]

What I didn't understand is how little I've seen of the tragedy down in Texas.

I think it's because the Marathon story was far less predictable (and therefore more interesting) television than watching a bunch of people pick through burned buildings and belongings in Texas.

Not to seem callous about the tragedy in West. In many respects, the toll of that disaster is bigger than in Boston. But the fire is out and there very likely won't be any more surprises out of that. Not the same way the Marathon story featured a late-night shootout, a door-to-door manhunt, and a standoff. And the story behind the story in West -- assuming the fire/explosion was not the work of terrorists -- is one of bad zoning ordinances, corporate greed, and unobserved safety regulations, not the story of two young Chechen-American men who had what appears to have been mixed success in transitioning to life in America.

[CathyA]

I wish I could verbalize my thoughts as well as you do Steve!

[ApatheticNoMore]

I think it's because the Marathon story was far less predictable (and therefore more interesting) television than watching a bunch of people pick through burned buildings and belongings in Texas.

only people are complaining how bored they were seeing it all the time when there was nothing new to report so it wasn't even fulfilling a purpose as entertainment. Makes you wonder ... But yea MSM keep boring us all away, so that noone pays any attention to you anymore, hey I like this. A brave new world self implodes because they're so blindered they can't even get entertainment and distraction right anymore.

Not to seem callous about the tragedy in West. In many respects, the toll of that disaster is bigger than in Boston. But the fire is out and there very likely won't be any more surprises out of that. Not the same way the Marathon story featured a late-night shootout, a door-to-door manhunt, and a standoff. And the story behind the story in West -- assuming the fire/explosion was not the work of terrorists -- is one of bad zoning ordinances, corporate greed, and unobserved safety regulations, not the story of two young Chechen-American men who had what appears to have been mixed success in transitioning to life in America.

I tend to be way more conspiratorial. What agenda does 24/7 covering of the boston bombings serve? The need for more and more money to be poured into homeland security, anti-terrorism, police miltiterization etc.. And of course with it the need for the loss of more and more civil liberties. What agenda would covering the fertilizer explosion serve? The need for more safety and environmental etc. regulations on industry? Which one serves the current government agenda and that of our corporate masters? Which one is totally inline with the direction the wind is blowing and which is not?

Well, loss of civil liberties and ever expanding security beuracracy has been the trend has it not? Meanwhile not just the regulations themselves but the *ability* to regulate industry is being meta-bargained away with things like the TPP (it will limit the ability for states and feds to regulate even if they wanted to - international corporate law that is superior to soveriegnty).

To say that much of the MSM is bad is to say something totally obvious. I don't expect anything good out of it anymore. I only expect the worst.

[Spartana]

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What agenda does 24/7 covering of the boston bombings serve? The need for more and more money to be poured into homeland security, anti-terrorism, police miltiterization etc.. And of course with it the need for the loss of more and more civil liberties. .

I don't think the media has any agenda other than to service the general fasination of the public with these kinds of things. Like Steve pointed out, the fertilzer plant was a natural event and thus...tragic but boring in many ways to public interest. Where as the attack in Boston by 2 seemingly bright and well adjusted young men with no apparent terrorist ties to their homeland is interesting. Just the sheer speculation of all the what-fors and possible what-ifs makes it interesting to follow. I just watch a bit to catch up and then turn off the TV (or go to a network that has other stuff on) so don't get the 24/7 news casts. However I do miss other news - like what's going on with the gun and immigration debate, the weather and what else is going on in the world - but they generally touch on that stuff briefly..