[quote]Originally posted by THT:
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It's amazing the media has such a upstanding reputation. There's nothing about the media that says they comprise the best of humanity, capable of fair and accurate assessments. They are just as ignorant, lazy, and greedy as the rest of us. So, I wouldn't believe in a conspiracy when simple ignorance and laziness will cover it. The appropriate thing is to criticise the media (for being a bunch of nitwits), not the industry itself. Once the media is fixed, the rest should follow (which includes politics and other industries).</strong><hr></blockquote>
THT is right about the media. "Whores" though many may be, it doesn't take money or favors under the table to get them to re-spin a story or otherwise distort it in an irresponsible way. They do that all by themselves, simply in an attempt to gain higher ratings and therefore more ad revenues. I've said it a dozen or more times before here, but until the news media system as a whole stops relying on ad revenues, they will be hard-pressed to deliver anything but slanted or otherwise tainted coverage of the issues.
As for this winter, it has been a little dry here in N. Illinois, but we did get an extended cold snap from the first days of winter up till about last weekend. Right now it is unseasonable warm, but let's not forget this season has just begun. It's a little early yet to be writing it off in any way.
We have 2.5 months before winter leaves us (and around these parts, closer to 3 months because the first week or two of April is usually cold....
[ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>