Poll: Does Positive Press Sell?

[CoCo]

There is a long list of writers & newspapers that people claim to despise. Many hate the press because they insist on finding or spinning dirt on this or that individual. Like Irvin said, will they run stories of retraction with the same passion that they run stories of accusation?

Is the public to blame? Is our appetite for dirt & sensationalism greater than our appetite for stories of good character, discretion, and heroism?

Got any good examples of writers/media who model admirable character in their reports and are successful to boot?

 

[Hostile]

In the immortal words of Don Henley...

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I dont have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
Its interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre stiff
Kick em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When its said and done we havent told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

 

[stealth]

In the immortal words of Don Henley...

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I dont have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
Its interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre stiff
Kick em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When its said and done we havent told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

did you cut and paste that or type it all out?
either way I never paid enough attention to that song.
thanks

 

[lspain1]

For our media of today, wouldn't the answer be obvious.

 

[Doomsday101]

There is a long list of writers & newspapers that people claim to despise. Many hate the press because they insist on finding or spinning dirt on this or that individual. Like Irvin said, will they run stories of retraction with the same passion that they run stories of accusation?

Is the public to blame? Is our appetite for dirt & sensationalism greater than our appetite for stories of good character, discretion, and heroism?

Got any good examples of writers/media who model admirable character in their reports and are successful to boot?

I would say over the last several years the media has become more like the National Enquirer and more commentary based in other words they are not telling me the facts but how they see it. In my own opinion I think the mindset changed in the media during Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation of Watergate, at that stage I think many in the media felt you could make a real name for yourself by doing sensational type stories. Only problem is now facts do not seem to matter as long as the story line is juicy.

 

[kTXe]

Personally, I think that anyone who answered "YES" is living in LaLa Land.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

There is a long list of writers & newspapers that people claim to despise. Many hate the press because they insist on finding or spinning dirt on this or that individual. Like Irvin said, will they run stories of retraction with the same passion that they run stories of accusation?

Is the public to blame? Is our appetite for dirt & sensationalism greater than our appetite for stories of good character, discretion, and heroism?

Got any good examples of writers/media who model admirable character in their reports and are successful to boot?

Yes it does, but so does negative press.

 

[Hostile]

did you cut and paste that or type it all out?
either way I never paid enough attention to that song.
thanks

C & P

 

[THUMPER]

Just look at the type of TV shows most people watch. They are into the dirt of "reality" shows (which are mostly staged), CSI in all its iterations, 24, ER, and a host of others which are based on drama and personal conflict.

There are no more "Father knows best"s "Leave it to Beaver"s or "Ozzie and Harriet"s on TV these days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just shows where society is now as compared with 40 years ago. It is all drama's, reality, or sit-coms with their endless sexual jokes, put downs, and male bashing these days.

What sells is sex and dirt (or dirty sex) so that is what the media feeds us. It's not right but it is what people have been conditioned to want.

 

[Chief]

Just look at the type of TV shows most people watch. They are into the dirt of "reality" shows (which are mostly staged), CSI in all its iterations, 24, ER, and a host of others which are based on drama and personal conflict.

There are no more "Father knows best"s "Leave it to Beaver"s or "Ozzie and Harriet"s on TV these days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just shows where society is now as compared with 40 years ago. It is all drama's, reality, or sit-coms with their endless sexual jokes, put downs, and male bashing these days.

What sells is sex and dirt (or dirty sex) so that is what the media feeds us. It's not right but it is what people have been conditioned to want.

Spot on.

ABC and MNF dove in head first when they paired Owens with that naked blonde woman in that ridiculous promo for one of their shows.

 

[the kid 05]

they created the saying "sex sells" for a reason didn't they?