Manny Freebus

This article connects with what we have previously studied through the mention of the necessary meeting halfway that must occur with any story telling or transfer of knowledge of an event; however, this point takes a new perspective when applied to the media. The article mentions that people will never look at the same situation in the same way and will therefore relay their experience in a different way than the listener might in an identical situation. This means that when a media source relays its stories, it will put emphasis on different specific parts of an events than the viewer might have had they been the one experiencing it. When the event is then perceived by the viewer, they will likely have painted a slightly different picture than was intended. They will, however, believe that they have learned the absolute truth of the occurrences of the scenario. Another way that media can be skewed is through the use of inferences rather than the use of description to relay events. The passage provides the example of an overweight individual named Manny Freebus. One statement provides his weight and height. Another indicates the common assumption of eating too much that would be made from that description of his height and weight. Instead, however, it indicates that the assumption that he ate too much was incorrect, and that he is overweight due an unrelated gland issue. This displays the way that the media can skew ideas through only relaying facts. In this circumstance, given only the description of his height and weight and not informed of his gland problem, many viewers would falsely condemn poor Manny Freebus for eating too much. Much like a white lie, the news may also carefully choose the information that they provide, so that although the information that they provide is true, the most common inferences from that information are not true.