CNN III

[planosteve]

Our govt. lies to us continually about foreign policy. Those lies cost of hundreds of billions of dollars, actually trillions of dollars if you add up the cumulative amount over decades. And here we sit bitching about CNN????????

[Mark]

I guess it depends on your definition of a lie.

I say stating something you know is false is a lie.

I don't believe withholding information that you know is lying, but it is deception. Reporters manipulate information all the time to shape a story.

An example: a newspaper runs a story that a man is at large after committing murder. They give a description, but the description does not include the fact that the man is black, a fact that is included in the police report and can be seen in surveillance video. A conscious editorial decision is made not to include that piece of information. We can all come to our own conclusions as to why. No lie was told, but important information was withheld.

If the news people are describing a fugitive and they omit the facts that he has dark skin, has dreadlocks, and is wearing shorts that don't cover his ass, they are not only omitting the truth, they are putting the public at risk.

[rusty]

I guess it depends on your definition of a lie.

I say stating something you know is false is a lie.

I don't believe withholding information that you know is lying, but it is deception. Reporters manipulate information all the time to shape a story.

An example: a newspaper runs a story that a man is at large after committing murder. They give a description, but the description does not include the fact that the man is black, a fact that is included in the police report and can be seen in surveillance video. A conscious editorial decision is made not to include that piece of information. We can all come to our own conclusions as to why. No lie was told, but important information was withheld.

I don't disagree with that. But they don't give a race description on the white perps either.