How do you like your news – left, right or center?

“If you tailor your news viewing so that you only get one point of view, well of course you're going to think somebody else has got a different point of view, and it may be wrong." ~ PeterJennings ~

I don’t know about you, but for me, (as an observer, reader and news junkie) this year’s election cycle has been the most verbally vitriolic and contentious in memory. Granted, the stakes have never been greater for our national economy and security.

Most folks have a favorite source for their news coverage, be it traditional print, radio, television or the Internet. Oftentimes however, one source may provide more opinion than actual fact-checked journalism, which is a reflection of the primary model for today’s’ world of news.

On any given morning, I go surfing around the Internet, gathering headlines that appear sensationalized in some manner or SEO (search engine optimization) driven, and am generally able to ascertain quite readily whether the source is opinion or fact-driven, as well as what news takes priority on the world or local stage. For me, this provides a much-needed focus in determining real issues that are based in facts.

An excellent source for gathering traditional front-page print perspectives is Newseum, the interactive news museum based in Washington, DC whose mission is "to help the public and the news media understand one another better" and to "raise public awareness of the important role of a free press in a democratic society".

Newseum features over 800 newspaper front pages from around the globe and stories that are relevant to demographic, regional and local readership.

The only problem as I see it, with reading daily global headlines, is that one gets weary and sometimes depressed with stories that are manufactured to drive media page views for the sake of creating profit. When a news organization mixes blazing headlines with carefully worded opinions and edited sound bites, you have a recipe for conflict without resolution.

With all of that clearly in mind, below are some alternative news sites with stories that are rarely told because they don’t generate top dollars in advertising.  Yet, for several years, these websites have remained relevant, instant and viable in their news-gathering mission, and they bring positive stories, which uplift and show that we all share a common ground in understanding.

The following Internet sites are in no particular order of preference, but all have a unique approach to finding that common ground when it comes to informing the public.

The Good News Network from Pakistan says, “For a Change, let’s talk about The Good News.”

Optimist World “brings you positive news which shows the very best of the human spirit and helps to show that good news can help to counteract the bad by reminding us what an amazing world we live in.”

OdeWire “searches a network of 102 media outlets” and ”is always looking at the most authoritative news sources for stories that focus on solutions rather than problems, and on positive changes rather than negative ones.”

Good News Network, founded by former television producer Geri Weis-Corbley, offers a free subscription newsletter as well as paid content models, and provides a "Daily Dose of News to Enthuse."

Gimundo is a free daily newsletter that provides positive “news from around the world, exclusive interviews with change-makers, guest columns, and subscriber-only weekly giveaways and special offers.”

Happy News states that they “deliver virtue, goodwill and heroism as 'hot news.'”  Bringing you “up-to-the-minute news, geared to lift spirits and inspire lives.”

Positive News from the United Kingdom is a paid membership and “Members receive the print edition 4 times a year, which brings together our most inspiring news all in one place. In an age of information overload, it’s the best way to get an overview of positive developments in the world...”

If these resources are not enough to peak your interest, I have one more suggestion – a video of -The Rumble 2012, which features the unlikely pairing of right and left media commentators Bill O’Reilly and Jon Stewart in debate. The program was originally live-streamed for $4.95 on Saturday evening, October 6, 2012 with one-half of the net profits from the show to benefit charitable causes designated by Jon and Bill.Topics that were covered are timely and  presented with colorful language and comedic delivery. There are no politicians and no winners, just difficult discourse that brought two disparate sides together. IMHO there’s a good lesson to be learned by watching it, plus you'll be contributing to some excellent causes.

The Social Network Controversy: Part 3 – the Humor of it All

In Parts 1 and 2 of this post we explored the benefits and the pitfalls of social networking, along with methods to correct (at least on Facebook) privacy blunders that might cause potential problems for your online image.

A very recent study published by Nielsen (the American marketing and research behemoth) that tracks marketplace dynamics along with consumer attitudes for a variety of media enterprises, which includes television, radio, books, music, videos and web sites, has come out with some interesting statistics for the “Top U.S. Web Sites and Brands for April 2010,” and guesses what? - Ranking # 3 for the “Top 10 Web Brands (U.S. Home and Work)” was Facebook, which lagged only behind Google and Yahoo but ratcheted up over 122 million visitors, who each spent and average of six hours, 43 minutes and 22 seconds of time per week with their social networking. Those figures were a reflection of a 3.8% downward trend. Could that portend marketplace unrest with privacy and security issues? Time will tell.

However, to end this post series on a funny note – I’ll leave the final words to the folks who produce entertainment, and hold a mirror up to our society reflecting the craze of social networking.

WARNING: If you are not a fan of South Park, the adult cartoon that oftentimes goes over the top in portraying current affairs, do not watch the first video below, even though the clip is far more tame than the usual fare that they produce.

The second clip also carries a WARNING – if you are offended by the use of certain slang words such as, %@&*, *(%# and #^*$ you probably will not appreciate the humor in David Ippolito, the Guitar Man of Central Park’s newly debuted song, “Facebook is a Stupid Idiot” (subtitled "What the $*&@ is Farmville!?") which was performed at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater in New York City.

IMHO, I think both clips are way to laugh at the entire social networking dilemma and maybe, as Victor Borge once said, “ Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” Now, isn’t that what social networking is all about?

Where do you put your garbage?

A little over ten days ago, the media airwaves began to be flooded and “twittered” with corporate indiscretions regarding how bailout funds were really being spent -
luxury jets, family trips to Baja, year end bonuses are de rigueur (even though companies weren’t profitable) but what stuck in my craw most was the purchase of a “$1,400 Parchment Waste Can.”

Supposedly, the tab for said “Waste Can” has been reimbursed, along with the entire redecorating fee of $1.22 million for the corporate corner office, which is no longer inhabited by the waste can’s owner. He was summarily fired when the pancakes hit the fan… justifiably so. But, and this begs a BIG question, “What on earth kind of garbage goes in a $1,400 Parchment Waste Can?”

I can only imagine – a broken string of Black Tahitian Pearls? No, they probably would be worth the effort to have them restrung at your local jeweler. Maybe old paper stock certificates from one of the big three automakers… nah, there’s some historical value to having a real paper stock certificate – they’re almost too good to cash in, because they are very pretty and just aren’t printed anymore.

Eureka! I know exactly what would go in a $1,400 Parchment Waste Can… the bill for the $1.22 million decorating job that was probably arrogantly tossed away (no need for tax records here, a cancelled check will do) and was possibly dumped out by the evening office cleaning lady or lad, whose tax dollars paid for the redecorating job… thus likely ending in the hands of one diligent investigative reporter. (Amen, and thank you to fellow members of a dwindling occupation.)

Maybe the smarter thing (all along) would have been to purchase a “United Receptacle Dimension 500 Series 29-Gal Litter Receptacle” - on Google you can find them for as low as $863.19, and here’s the best part… they are “durable, fire-safe and vandal-resistant.” Then again, maybe it just wouldn’t match the corner office suite décor – time for a decorator conference.

I guess nobody would ever look for a pink slip there.