Video News - Intellect or Emotions

​

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the purpose of video news was to grow knowledge. Today, in this galaxy, it seems to be to stimulate emotions. Is video news about growing knowledge through delivering information or growing ignorance through manipulating emotions? How can you decide?

 

Video news has three, let’s call them, channels of communication; words, pronunciations and body language. There are words that inform and those that excite. There are pronunciations that inform and those that excite. There’s body language that informs and that excites.

​

Telling the story can be done in two ways; using words, pronunciations and body language that inform or excite. Which is used is a news source choice. Which is chosen? Each person who watches the news can determine this for themselves. Here's how.

​

The first step is to not listen and watch for the story. Instead, concentrate on how the story is told. Listen to the words used. Are they intended to inform or excite? Listen for how they're pronounced. Is it to inform or excite? Last, look at what they want the camera to show about them. Is it to inform or excite? Is the primary intent of their delivery to add to your knowledge or to push your emotional buttons?

​

Odds are those who try this will only do this with the news they choose to watch. Please don't stop there. Go to a news source you don't like. Again, don't listen and watch for the story. Concentrate on how the story is told. Is the news source you don't like any different that the one you do, if you only consider how the story is told? Not what the story is, just how it's told.

​

A long time ago it seemed as if the words chosen were to inform. Their pronunciation was to inform. And the body language was to inform. What do these feel like today? Are you being intellectually informed or emotionally manipulated? Which of those is your decision.

​

There's a significant "what's an American" difference between them. If you're intellectually informed, then the intent of the news is to grow an American with knowledge who will draw their own conclusions. If you're emotionally manipulated, then the intent is to grow an "American" with ignorance who will draw conclusions chosen for them.

​

"The land of the free" implies you'll draw your own conclusions. "The home of the brave" implies you'll take a hard look at determining that you can do that. Those are the things an American does to be able to continue to be an American. It's your choice whether to be an American or a person living in America.

​

Just a fellow American