Thursday, February 09, 2023

Looking for the Feel of Truth

I am just back from another hike into the Internet jungle where news medias coagulate. I had become convinced there was nothing new to find. Every new effort at disseminating the news has been the same pig's ear gussied up to look like another silk purse.

I was looking to round out, or is it fatten up, my selection of news feeds so I can confuse myself more by adding even more sources  for the news I consume. 

I feel I should because , well, we are now trapped in a new world of alternate facts, lying truths, and fabrications taken as word from above by so many people now days. Just the sheer weight of the numbers of idiots who believe the new truths may just replace what actually were the facts going in and been what we should have paid attention to in the first place.

So, I am on the look out for media outlets I can trust to slant the news the least. Sadly, I will never be able to trust the news like I did back in the Walter Cronkite / Edward R. Murrow days. But then I probably should not have trusted them either. As it turns out, Objectivity was hit or miss even back in the day.

Over the last week, I have discovered one source I knew about, but never gave the time of day to. 

Vox has been around for a long time in Internet time. It was started by a respected news guy who existed for years in mainstream media. The Vox platform is extensive and of particular interest for me, and the reason I even checked them out; they are big supporters of crossword puzzles. I have become an addict who shamelessly will get my crossword fix wherever I can; even the back of children's menus down to the local bistro 10 miles away. After some crossword puzzles, I checked out their news wing. Like so many newer news site, the hooks they use are simple and plain written stories that tell the story in the first paragraph or so. Hit the icons and you can delve deeper, but a five minute or less read will drop the important highlights. And yes, if I was to assign a political leaning to Vox, I would say they seem to land just Left of center most of the time. But  often, time is given to opposing views. 

Vox Media's Mission statement:

"Our mission is to empower you with the insight needed to understand and shape our world. We take you on a journey from curiosity to understanding, adding context and clarity to the events and issues swirling around you, so that you can truly understand the problems we face, potential solutions, and what you can do."

For more  About Vox media and links to their offerings

The other site was a surprise from last night while trying to find a brief story on the lying hypocrite, Sen, Mike Lee (R-UT) and how he self owned himself after Biden's SOTU speech.  

"Opoyi" is a digital news dissemination service based in India. It is fairly new and is the result of the collaborations of two very tech successful native Indians, Rajiv and Nilanjana. They decided news needed a whole new digital make over that would meet the shorter attention span and changing demands of today's news consumers. Opoyi does not want to add their twist to the news, they want to fine tune how it is delivered. To that end, they want to break it down into edible and understandable bites without a lot of useless baggage or over the top verbiage..

"Through" Opoyi", ( the founders )Rajiv and Nilanjana aim to offer a single destination to consumers for all their content needs across languagesand  — irrespective of whether they are literate or illiterate — or whether they want text, audio or video."

Read more at: https://yourstory.com/2020/06/silicon-valley-techie-media-veteran-startup-opoyi

I am not advocating for eitther site. I am just informing folks who are as clueless as I am of the newer gyrations in the digital news world that are alternatives to the stale , outdated, poorly produced news we have had to deal with until now. Opoyi Is definitely different and apparently still so new, the final product has not come out into the light yet. Vox is a known to me, only now I know they do crosswood puzzles.

These are my first impressions. If I remember to, I will try to comeback with some follow up. Don't hold your breath.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ....................................

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* The image at the top is by an Argentinian illustrator who goes by the pseudonym, "Al Margen". His cartoons / illustrations are awesome. You can find more here.

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The only song I could think of today was "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles. I was slow to warm to the Beatles as a kid. My music tended to be more in the country, blues and hard rock genres. But by the time this album,"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band" came out I was a fully and unequivocally a converted Beatles fan. 


2 comments:

The Blog Fodder said...

Have read articles from time to time on VOX. Signed up for too damn many things now. Am 132 emails behind.

yellowdoggranny said...

I can't do it..news channels make my head hurt..I go to youtube and watch small news clips..makes me happy..