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One of Us |
Curious as to what you all think the accuracy of news media coverage is of hunting and shooting events or incidents. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | ||
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Administrator |
I have seen events reported in the media - of which I have first hand experience - that had almost nothing correct apart from the event itself. | |||
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One of Us |
Amen! Pretty pathetic I think. What's missing is integrity, on the part of the author, and the MSM who publish the articles. Don | |||
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One of Us |
As a retired state police officer involved in several reported incidents I can assure you that the media couldn't report accurately if you drew it out in crayon for them.... troy Birmingham, Al | |||
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one of us |
Like Katie Couric, some are so blatantly pushing an agenda that the entire segment wreaks from the outset. There are still some honest, hard-working folks in the media, though, who do their best to remain unbiased in their reporting, but they are getting to be fewer and farther between. That's why I still gave a mark of 50 percent. From someone who spent years in the media, one of my pet peeves was that some individuals, from those giving the "facts" to those reporting them, had no clue and didn't care to learn. Case in point: A police officer reports that "we took a .45 automatic from the individual" while discussing a hostage situation. The eventual headline then reads "Robber Holds Employees Hostage with Automatic Weapon" when in fact a plain Jane 1911 clone -- a SEMI-automatic -- was actually used. Here, I not only blame the cop (many have minimal firearms knowledge), the person gathering the news, the person writing it, the copy desk for the inaccurate headline and the editor for missing the error. Another pet peeve of mine is that any time there is a negative incident regading a firearm, news agencies start spitting out comparisons to similar incidents and initiate barrages of anti-gun sentiment in a feeble attempt to blame the actions of an individual on the gun itself. And why don't they report positive items regarding firearms? Yep, you guessed it. Time and space can be devoted to the winner of a local dog show, but you'll see or hear no mention of a two-time state shooting champion who overcame great odds to win the titles. What about the grandfather who thwarted a home invasion with his shotgun while his wife and two young grandchildren slept in the next room? Is that not newsworthy? What about the fact that states with OPEN carry have much lower crime rates than places with some of the strictest gun legislation on the books? OK...OK. I'll get off the soap box for now. Mike - THANKS for the terrific topic. Hopefully it will make some people think. Bobby Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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One of Us |
Guys, Maybe you think this is a dumb pole but I would really like to see some more votes....I am interested in others thoughts... Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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one of us |
Three years ago I had some guns stolen. Turned out to be my eldest daughter's new boyfriend. The local newspaper, reported about the local police cracking the case. In fact, i traced the guns down myself,(they were sold to a dealer that is a friend of mine)and had the police come get them. That was just one of the many inaccuracies in several local papers. And that is just one incident. Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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One of Us |
I can say that when I was a surgical resident handling trauma cases thus having to know every detail about a patient, newspaper reports were so far from the truth that I sometimes asked if it was the same case. In this day and age we are bombarded 24/7 with news.......and so little of it is accurate.....very sad.......truly caveat emptor. | |||
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One of Us |
Well, we now have about 38 votes and 73% of the people believe that the media gets 50% or less of the facts straight. What I find interesting about this statistic is the following: When a sensitive issue regarding hunting or shooting is reported in the media, the rather extreme positions that are taken by some members of the forum and that position is vehemently defended by taking excerpts or little factoids from the media report as if the facts or excerpts are the unquestionable truth. Yet it seems the majority of folks believe the media is horrible inaccurate. Just food for thought. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Administrator |
Mike, The media like to pick and choose what to publish. On several occasions, I was approached for an interview by a media outlet or another. And on every occasion, they refused my conditions. I said I will be happy to be interviewed. But, EVERYTHING I say is to be published. No editing. They all decided not to do it. | |||
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One of Us |
Mike, I didn't vote in your poll for several reasons. First, I have not turned on the television in 11 years. I decided back then that the stuff the Main Stream Media (MSM) was spewing was garbage, and I wanted no part of it. I'm talking here about ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. The people running the news programs for those organizations have an agenda, and that agenda is NOT reporting news accurately, but with their spin on what they do report. So, they "edit" what they say before it gets aired, and the only things they say conforms to their agenda, which, from my perspective is "FAR" Left. I'm a conservative. I'm retired from the US Army, and have views based on my strong feelings about the safety and security of our Nation. I read the news here on the Internet. When I analyze a situation, I want ALL of the facts to assess the situation, not a few somewhat honest, or skewed facts that someone in a news room wants me to hear. The problem with the MSM news is you, and I, do not know what isn't being said. So, we never get the full story. It's basically propaganda. But, back to my vote on your poll. Since I don't watch any of the MSM programs, I don't know what percentage to select, or assess. I would be lying if I did select a percentage as I just don't know. Don Buckbee | |||
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One of Us |
My personal favorite is " A High calibre weapon was used". At least one would have solice in knowing they weren't shot or held up with inferior weaponry. These are the same folks who use the term "high powered rifle" to describe a .223 rifle. And remember in california the mass media hysterics in reporting on the capabilities of a 50 BMG bolt, you'd think that shooting one would create a worm hole sucking all of civilization into an alternate universe. John | |||
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one of us |
Mike, I didn't vote because you don't have a vote for "LESS than 25% accurate". Like others, my experience with ANY reporting in the mass media is that it is dismally inaccurate. Add to that the fact that with wall to wall coverage of the olympics, the shooting sports are NEVER mentioned even when the US wins gold medals in some disciplines. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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One of Us |
You're correct. It's called "selective reporting". They also have surprisingly strict though unwritten rules requiring a reporter to put the slant to stories that have a political component. Those writing the stories or the headlines have more leeway on non-sensitive subjects. If you deviate you are branded a renegade and can forget about advancement...for instance, it would preclude advancement on a newspaper from reporter to city editor (let alone managing editor), or for instance getting ahead on the copy desk (where the headlines are written). And if you're a reporter and your story doesn't have the slant (even though factually correct and well investigated) it will be tossed and you will see a completely re-written version in print instead. And you won't get assigned to anything like that again. Just one of the more egregious examples of this system at work - the 2004 Dan Rather/CBS election fraud. He wasn't fired for the fraud, but for being clumsy and getting caught. As far as the national electronic media is concerned all of them are the same, with the exception that unlike the rest Fox will at least allow a moderate or a conservative to have their say. In this poll I'd award them all the lowest possible rating. Some in the media are knowledgeable about guns, especially in the sports end of the business. But in the "hard news" area where stories are written about gun incidences many wouldn't know a 30-06 from a flintlock and the policy pre-dispositions preclude a fair presentation anyway. | |||
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one of us |
+1 ... well actually I did vote, but picked the lowest % just to be represented! | |||
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one of us |
May I ask "What news media acccuracy"? Sorry, couldn't resist. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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