8 ms·

> If you were to tally up how much airtime each news story gets, plotted against the general tone of the coverage, you'd probably come up with something resembl

> If you were to tally up how much airtime each news story gets, plotted against the general tone of the coverage, you'd probably come up with something resembling the news room agenda It's not like it's subtle. There have been hundreds of Chinese weather balloon stories in the past week. Have there been hundreds of stories about this? US companies make money from stories about Chinese weather balloons. They lose money when horrific things like this happen. There is a man who was shot twice (and grievously injured) in a robbery who is filing suit against the city of Chicago for its policy of breaking off high-speed chases (which have killed plenty of innocents in Chicago), arguing that they would have captured the perpetrator before they shot him if they had chased him during another incident. Local Chicago news is so determined to roll back recent reforms like ending cash bail and high speed chases in the city that we not only get multiple stories every day about the suit, we got multiple stories before the suit was filed about rumors and announcements that the suit was being filed.

luckylion 4y ago
> US companies make money from stories about Chinese weather balloons. They lose money when horrific things like this happen. The carrier will lose money. But a news company would make money, wouldn't they? Bad news is good news after all, and environmental disasters are bad news.
- freen 4y ago
  Likely there is considerable overlap in ownership between the handful of railway companies that dominate the market and handful of media companies that dominate the market.
  - whatshisface 4y ago
    Plus advertisers (which could include chemical plants etc) are their clients.
    - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
      > advertisers (which could include chemical plants etc) are their clients The closest in the top 200 is Berkshire Hathaway [1], because they train. Also, this media hypothesis predicts Google, Pfizer, Amazon and Walmart are media darlings. (And that Apple is not.) [1] https://advertisers.mediaradar.com/Top_Print_Advertisers https://advertisers.mediaradar.com/Top_Print_Advertisers
- TylerE 4y ago
  Trains derail all the time. It’s dog bites man, not man bites dog.
  - jessaustin 4y ago
    It isn't always "Chernobyl in Ohio", as locals are calling it. Although, that is becoming more common. If only the rail industry were regulated... maybe we need to dig up Teddy Roosevelt?
    - IIAOPSW 4y ago
      The rail industry is regulated. In certain ways over and in certain ways under. Eg, there's very little sense to the requirements a passenger train needs to reach to run on the same rails as freight, and Europe does it safely all the time.
      - TylerE 4y ago
        Not so much a matter of safety as that it’s the freight railroads that own the rails, whereas is most of Europe the infrastructure is mostly government owned, or in some cases was and is now (sorta) privatized but still under a sort of open access model.
        IIAOPSW 4y ago
        That's a different, orthogonal issue. Look it up there's a bunch of tedious FRA rules about crash-worthiness which Europe doesn't have. It makes the trains which can legally run needlessly expensive and they wear out the tracks faster. The rules don't apply to metros and subways, but if the tracks have any switch anywhere connecting to the national network then FRA rules apply to the whole system. The result is that planners can't extend their metro via shared freight corridors. There are plenty of regulations already, and in some cases they are clearly counterproductive. Proposing to solve things by putting more regs on the pile is a dubious proposition.
        4y ago
- WeylandYutani 4y ago
  I think jingoistic China bashing pays better than putting the spotlight on America's various problems and shortcomings. They did it in the 1970s and aside from brilliant Hollywood movies it wasn't a good decade for America. The less introspection the better as far as the media and political interests are concerned.
  - mc32 4y ago
    How is it jingoistic when China is flying warplanes over Taiwan and their media is now making claims the US has flown 10 balloons over their territory and supposedly were about to shoot down one of them and feign ignorance about the ones they sent over to us? Or are you saying both sides are being jingoistic?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
chaps 4y ago
A lot of these issues, unfortunately, exist because a huge chunk of Chicago media simply doesn't understand legal processes involved in criminal cases or even where to begin researching. It gets technical, quickly, and many of the reporters I know shy away from anything technically nuanced . That includes court reporters. So much of it has become political arbitrage, and policing/jailing institutions are well aware of the lack of understanding of their systems. It's beyond wild to me that many seasoned reporters out there who've been on these beats for years who don't even know how to answer fundamental questions through FOIA requests. It's understandable to a point because of the low pay in Chicago journalism, but it manifests as legitimate harm all over the place. I'm convinced we'll get there.
- nativeit 4y ago
  *Insert obligatory reference to “The Wire” here.* Newsrooms have been hemorrhaging beat reporters with in-depth knowledge of esoterica in a given field since the World Wide Web first began its thorough disruption of one of its first victim industries. It’s been decades since local news outlets have had the sort of manpower and institutional knowledge and connections to report effectively on things like criminal justice, local government oversight, environmental protection, or healthcare (among others). All of the talent either seeks positions with national outlets, or otherwise becomes stretched thin covering too many assignments, across too many areas, plus they’re probably now responsible for getting their own art (photos/video/audio/literature/brand packs/etc.) and deadlines have only become tighter with the importance of getting the story out first exacerbating an already stuffed and horribly problematic editorial calendar. So you’re right on all counts, and it’s sadly by design as local news increasingly falls into the hands of a precious few companies and investment firms, all of whom are eager to thoroughly wring out what little value remains in these hollowed and brittle organizations.
JumpCrisscross 4y ago
> Have there been hundreds of stories about this? Chinese balloons are novel. This is not. It’s tragic. But its most memorable element seems to be the meta-debate around its coverage. That's boring.
- Natsu 4y ago
  I think the people in Ohio wondering if they're going to be in a Flint-like situation, WTF these chemicals the average person has never heard of are, and what's going to be done about it are all interesting subjects. Alas, I haven't heard much about them from those knowledgeable enough to chime in on the subjects and I'd love to. As for balloons, they got boring last week, other than some airspace closures that only pilots need worry about. China has always been spying on us, the methods might be new, but not the fact of it.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    > the methods might be new, but not the fact of it It’s a diplomatic escalation with global geopolitical ramifications. If you have any business or personal exposure to China, or anything in Southeast Asia, that’s directly relevant in a way lives in Ohio, unfortunately, are not. Also, Ohio is out of immediate crisis. Now is the time for investigation and litigation. The train has derailed. Yet balloons may keep coming—that’s the drama one story has that the other lacks.
    - Natsu 4y ago
      For that last part, some people are worried it might not be. I don't claim to know enough about it to say who is right, but the people there are understandably concerned about what to watch for and want more info. Some of that might be worrying too much, but hey, a train full of hazardous chemicals did just explode out there. It's not like we can't point to a time when things were majorly screwed up in a way that didn't just go away quickly despite the news moving on (Flint says hello).
      - 4y ago
WalterBright 4y ago
WA state passed a law that says a cop cannot chase a suspect unless they committed a violent crime. This resulted in a surge of crimes where the suspect driver just flips off the police and drive off. Common crimes resulting from this: 1. catalytic converter thefts 2. thieves steal a car, ram it into a store, loot the store, drive off in another stolen car
- notch898a 4y ago
  Um if a person drives a car into an occupied structure with people is that not violent? If you drove into the police station the officers would say they feared for their lives and open fire.
  - btilly 4y ago
    Presumably they do it at night when nobody is around to be hurt. And hopefully nobody reports it to police in time.
    - mikrotikker 4y ago
      You should enter the Olympics for those mental gymnastics.
    - WalterBright 4y ago
      Yes, that's exactly what they do.
- duckmysick 4y ago
  Catalytic converter thefts are up across the country. Does it mean all other states passed similar laws too? Or maybe there are other reasons, like their high value and relative ease to steal.
  - WalterBright 4y ago
    Those thefts surged after the "no chase" law went into effect.

luckylion 4y ago

> US companies make money from stories about Chinese weather balloons. They lose money when horrific things like this happen. The carrier will lose money. But a news company would make money, wouldn't they? Bad news is good news after all, and environmental disasters are bad news.

freen 4y ago
Likely there is considerable overlap in ownership between the handful of railway companies that dominate the market and handful of media companies that dominate the market.
- whatshisface 4y ago
  Plus advertisers (which could include chemical plants etc) are their clients.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    > advertisers (which could include chemical plants etc) are their clients The closest in the top 200 is Berkshire Hathaway [1], because they train. Also, this media hypothesis predicts Google, Pfizer, Amazon and Walmart are media darlings. (And that Apple is not.) [1] https://advertisers.mediaradar.com/Top_Print_Advertisers https://advertisers.mediaradar.com/Top_Print_Advertisers
TylerE 4y ago
Trains derail all the time. It’s dog bites man, not man bites dog.
- jessaustin 4y ago
  It isn't always "Chernobyl in Ohio", as locals are calling it. Although, that is becoming more common. If only the rail industry were regulated... maybe we need to dig up Teddy Roosevelt?
  - IIAOPSW 4y ago
    The rail industry is regulated. In certain ways over and in certain ways under. Eg, there's very little sense to the requirements a passenger train needs to reach to run on the same rails as freight, and Europe does it safely all the time.
    - TylerE 4y ago
      Not so much a matter of safety as that it’s the freight railroads that own the rails, whereas is most of Europe the infrastructure is mostly government owned, or in some cases was and is now (sorta) privatized but still under a sort of open access model.
      - IIAOPSW 4y ago
        That's a different, orthogonal issue. Look it up there's a bunch of tedious FRA rules about crash-worthiness which Europe doesn't have. It makes the trains which can legally run needlessly expensive and they wear out the tracks faster. The rules don't apply to metros and subways, but if the tracks have any switch anywhere connecting to the national network then FRA rules apply to the whole system. The result is that planners can't extend their metro via shared freight corridors. There are plenty of regulations already, and in some cases they are clearly counterproductive. Proposing to solve things by putting more regs on the pile is a dubious proposition.
        4y ago
WeylandYutani 4y ago
I think jingoistic China bashing pays better than putting the spotlight on America's various problems and shortcomings. They did it in the 1970s and aside from brilliant Hollywood movies it wasn't a good decade for America. The less introspection the better as far as the media and political interests are concerned.
- mc32 4y ago
  How is it jingoistic when China is flying warplanes over Taiwan and their media is now making claims the US has flown 10 balloons over their territory and supposedly were about to shoot down one of them and feign ignorance about the ones they sent over to us? Or are you saying both sides are being jingoistic?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]

chaps 4y ago

A lot of these issues, unfortunately, exist because a huge chunk of Chicago media simply doesn't understand legal processes involved in criminal cases or even where to begin researching. It gets technical, quickly, and many of the reporters I know shy away from anything technically nuanced . That includes court reporters. So much of it has become political arbitrage, and policing/jailing institutions are well aware of the lack of understanding of their systems. It's beyond wild to me that many seasoned reporters out there who've been on these beats for years who don't even know how to answer fundamental questions through FOIA requests. It's understandable to a point because of the low pay in Chicago journalism, but it manifests as legitimate harm all over the place. I'm convinced we'll get there.

nativeit 4y ago
*Insert obligatory reference to “The Wire” here.* Newsrooms have been hemorrhaging beat reporters with in-depth knowledge of esoterica in a given field since the World Wide Web first began its thorough disruption of one of its first victim industries. It’s been decades since local news outlets have had the sort of manpower and institutional knowledge and connections to report effectively on things like criminal justice, local government oversight, environmental protection, or healthcare (among others). All of the talent either seeks positions with national outlets, or otherwise becomes stretched thin covering too many assignments, across too many areas, plus they’re probably now responsible for getting their own art (photos/video/audio/literature/brand packs/etc.) and deadlines have only become tighter with the importance of getting the story out first exacerbating an already stuffed and horribly problematic editorial calendar. So you’re right on all counts, and it’s sadly by design as local news increasingly falls into the hands of a precious few companies and investment firms, all of whom are eager to thoroughly wring out what little value remains in these hollowed and brittle organizations.

JumpCrisscross 4y ago

> Have there been hundreds of stories about this? Chinese balloons are novel. This is not. It’s tragic. But its most memorable element seems to be the meta-debate around its coverage. That's boring.

Natsu 4y ago
I think the people in Ohio wondering if they're going to be in a Flint-like situation, WTF these chemicals the average person has never heard of are, and what's going to be done about it are all interesting subjects. Alas, I haven't heard much about them from those knowledgeable enough to chime in on the subjects and I'd love to. As for balloons, they got boring last week, other than some airspace closures that only pilots need worry about. China has always been spying on us, the methods might be new, but not the fact of it.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  > the methods might be new, but not the fact of it It’s a diplomatic escalation with global geopolitical ramifications. If you have any business or personal exposure to China, or anything in Southeast Asia, that’s directly relevant in a way lives in Ohio, unfortunately, are not. Also, Ohio is out of immediate crisis. Now is the time for investigation and litigation. The train has derailed. Yet balloons may keep coming—that’s the drama one story has that the other lacks.
  - Natsu 4y ago
    For that last part, some people are worried it might not be. I don't claim to know enough about it to say who is right, but the people there are understandably concerned about what to watch for and want more info. Some of that might be worrying too much, but hey, a train full of hazardous chemicals did just explode out there. It's not like we can't point to a time when things were majorly screwed up in a way that didn't just go away quickly despite the news moving on (Flint says hello).
    - 4y ago

WalterBright 4y ago

WA state passed a law that says a cop cannot chase a suspect unless they committed a violent crime. This resulted in a surge of crimes where the suspect driver just flips off the police and drive off. Common crimes resulting from this: 1. catalytic converter thefts 2. thieves steal a car, ram it into a store, loot the store, drive off in another stolen car

notch898a 4y ago
Um if a person drives a car into an occupied structure with people is that not violent? If you drove into the police station the officers would say they feared for their lives and open fire.
- btilly 4y ago
  Presumably they do it at night when nobody is around to be hurt. And hopefully nobody reports it to police in time.
  - mikrotikker 4y ago
    You should enter the Olympics for those mental gymnastics.
  - WalterBright 4y ago
    Yes, that's exactly what they do.
duckmysick 4y ago
Catalytic converter thefts are up across the country. Does it mean all other states passed similar laws too? Or maybe there are other reasons, like their high value and relative ease to steal.
- WalterBright 4y ago
  Those thefts surged after the "no chase" law went into effect.