Mass media (Photo credit: ZaCky ॐ)

Every day when I switch on the radio, the television or my computer I am faced with news items. I never buy newspapers, never have and never will. I think they are a waste of money and much of what is presented is swayed by the political persuasion of its editors anyway. If I have to read the news or listen to reports I would rather it be presented without bias. Sometimes I feel it is good to know what is going on in the world and at other times I feel it might be better to remain ignorant. There are certain things that happen in the world and in local communities that are worth reporting but there are other things I feel should remain private both to the authorities and to individuals as long as by doing that it is in the interest of the public in general. It could be said that some reports have an air of irresponsibility about them, especially where there remains a threat from terrorists, often seeming to suggest forms of action by these groups that they otherwise wouldn’t have thought about. I have watched television programs showing how thieves break into vehicles which might give would-be thieves information on how to carry out such crimes. Information like this should be kept out of the news or other programs in the public eye. It is sufficient to report that vehicles are broken into without giving details of how it was accomplished. We can have too much information for our own good but there will always be people who insist that every small detail of news is revealed whether it is for the best or not. Should all items of news be reported? An arguable question but whatever is reported should only be in the interests of the population at large. Lives have been ruined through bad reporting and it is unnecessary. Who decides what is good news and what isn’t, what should be reported and what should not? Well there are regulators in the media industry but they don’t get it right all of the time. The way the news is sourced and the way it is reported is important too. The media have a responsibility to report accurately, without bias, fairly and in the interests of those making the news and those receiving it. It has to show sensibility and sensitivity too. During the last few months we have heard of much misconduct in the media industry which has prompted a major inquiry into the matter and in reporting in general with several issues becoming the subject of discussion. We wait in anticipation for the outcome and hope that the news will be worth receiving.

Shirley Anne

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This morning, Monday, I sat and watched the news and weather forecasts whilst eating my breakfast. Nothing unusual about that, I do it most mornings. It appears that the weather is going to turn nasty in the days ahead, wet and very windy and getting colder. According to the BBC we are in for hard times. When presenting the weather and the news too for that matter, I find the BBC an organisation that is over-dramatic in its presentation of events . For heaven’s sake, it’s just the news, it’s just the weather, just make the report and let us make the decisions as to how we react. To hear them talk about the weather for instance, we are going to find it difficult to get to work, keep ourselves warm and generally be able to cope with it all. It is October, it is Autumn, it is going to get colder when Winter follows on behind. It happens every year or have they forgotten? Even more annoying is the dramatic music they play when announcing themselves, the drum rolls between the headline announcements and the stern voices of the presenters. It makes it all sound like gloom, doom and despondency. How on earth are we going to be able to manage? Give me a break for heaven’s sake!

Life goes on, things happen, it’s all part of the scheme. Why make a song and dance of it all? I know of people who never watch the news on television or listen to it on the radio. They never buy newspapers and are not even connected to the Internet. Everything they know is by word of mouth or by their personal experiences. Their argument is that they have enough problems of their own to have to worry about what’s going on elsewhere or if the weather is going to be warm, dry, wet or windy. Whatever happens they just get on with their lives. They don’t need the hassle of information which does nothing to improve their lot. I admire that attitude to a point and it is one of the reasons I do not have an all-singing all-dancing mobile phone. I don’t take too much to heart what I see on the television and the weather will not stop me from living my life. Too much pressure begets too much pressure so I try to avoid it where possible.

Shirley Anne

I (editor) see a lot of strange news stories in this job and this one, which was featured recently in a German newspaper, is up there with the strangest.

A judge in Stuttgart, Germany, is currently trying to decide on a lawsuit in which a man hired his neighbour to impregnate his wife.

It gets weirder.

Demetrius Soupolos, 29, and his former beauty queen wife, Traute, were very keen to have a child together, but Demetrius was sterile so they began to seek out other possible options.

The option the couple eventually decided on was to hire their neighbour Frank Maus, 34, to impregnate Traute.

Maus, who was already married with two children agreed to do the job for the fee of €2,000. For three evenings a week for the next six months, a total of 72 different times, Maus tried to impregnate Traute.

When his own wife objected, Maus explained that he was “only doing it for the money.”

After the unsuccessful six-month period Soupolos insisted that Maus take a medical examination. The doctor concluded that Maus was also sterile, which forced his wife into admitting that their two children did not belong to him.

Soupolos is now suing Maus in an effort to get his money back. Maus’ argument is that he did not guarantee conception, only that he would try his hardest.

Shirley Anne x
So who’s nuts?