Ben Swann's Liberty is Rising: Truth in Media project

[Androidpk]

I am quite excited for this. This guy embodies the type of journalism that this country needs today. Too many news media companies aren't doing their jobs to hold the government accountable
for their actions and this guy isn't afraid to do just that.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/439668500/liberty-is-rising-truth-in-media-project- (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/439668500/liberty-is-rising-truth-in-media-project-0)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsA3PGQb0xo

[Latrinsorm]

The site/imagery looks a lot like Colbert, but I think it's unintentional because the comments on Jon Stewart would be way too intricate of a parody. I opened the video in another tab while I was typing this and honestly believed it had opened into an ad because of the music. I think it's extremely telling, and not in a good way.

"Trust in the mainstream media has been at an all-time low."
There are four things really bad about this statement.
(1) What is the mainstream media? No definition of terms is a poor start.
(2) Why "has been" rather than "is"? Just odd phrasing.
(3) All-time - people trusted the media more when they couldn't read? Exaggeration is a poor middle.
(4) Crucially, no empirical data to back this up. No citation, no footnote, no source makes for the perfect poor ending. Don't talk to me about truth and then pontificate. There's a reason that behavior is derived from "pontiff", and it's not because the Pope is a famous scientist.

"The power brokers are saying that investigative journalism is dead." etc.
Without attribution, this is nothing more than fearmongering rhetoric.

"I'm Ben Swann." LIGHTS, SUDDEN SWELL IN MUSIC
Again, like Colbert this narcissism would be funny if he didn't actually take himself seriously.

And closing with fully 40 seconds of (some admittedly pretty sweet) piano music over a heroic still. Yeesh. I seriously just googled "heroic pose" and the first result that was (a) not Supergirl (b) not a squirrel and (c) had a face was this (http://the-lunar-gallery.deviantart.com/art/Lunar-Ray-Heroic-pose-171223118). The guy's messiah complex is unbelievable.

.

But still, that doesn't mean he and his nascent movement can't do good in and for the world. Let me just ask you one thing, Andy. What information have you learned from Ben Swann that you didn't already know?

[AnticorRifling]

Pretty sure that's Ryan Seacrest with 30 more lbs.

[Androidpk]

The site/imagery looks a lot like Colbert, but I think it's unintentional because the comments on Jon Stewart would be way too intricate of a parody. I opened the video in another tab while I was typing this and honestly believed it had opened into an ad because of the music. I think it's extremely telling, and not in a good way.

"Trust in the mainstream media has been at an all-time low."
There are four things really bad about this statement.
(1) What is the mainstream media? No definition of terms is a poor start.
(2) Why "has been" rather than "is"? Just odd phrasing.
(3) All-time - people trusted the media more when they couldn't read? Exaggeration is a poor middle.
(4) Crucially, no empirical data to back this up. No citation, no footnote, no source makes for the perfect poor ending. Don't talk to me about truth and then pontificate. There's a reason that behavior is derived from "pontiff", and it's not because the Pope is a famous scientist.

"The power brokers are saying that investigative journalism is dead." etc.
Without attribution, this is nothing more than fearmongering rhetoric.

"I'm Ben Swann." LIGHTS, SUDDEN SWELL IN MUSIC
Again, like Colbert this narcissism would be funny if he didn't actually take himself seriously.

And closing with fully 40 seconds of (some admittedly pretty sweet) piano music over a heroic still. Yeesh. I seriously just googled "heroic pose" and the first result that was (a) not Supergirl (b) not a squirrel and (c) had a face was this (http://the-lunar-gallery.deviantart.com/art/Lunar-Ray-Heroic-pose-171223118). The guy's messiah complex is unbelievable.

.

But still, that doesn't mean he and his nascent movement can't do good in and for the world. Let me just ask you one thing, Andy. What information have you learned from Ben Swann that you didn't already know?


The only thing telling about it is Jeremy Richter really knows his shit.

[Tgo01]

And closing with fully 40 seconds of (some admittedly pretty sweet) piano music over a heroic still.

Shows what you know, it was 49 seconds.

[Latrinsorm]

The only thing telling about it is Jeremy Richter really knows his shit.I don't know who that is. I assume the creator of the video? Like I said it would work great as a Colbert knockoff: the graphics, the music, the pacing, the posing. If you want to actually be taken seriously as investigative grassroots journalism integrity fearless liberty truth... not so much. It would be like me posting about some inane math thing in sports but then refusing to cite any of my numbers and just reiterating my conclusions even though that's not what the FAT CATS IN WASHINGTON want me to say, I'm willing to risk you giving me all kinds of money because that's how much I love the truth.

Seriously Andy just tell me one way you needed Ben Swann to empower your voice toward liberty and freedom. Mostly he seems to be about empowering Ben Swann toward Ben Swann glamour shots and Ben Swann merchandise.
Shows what you know, it was 49 seconds.Shows what your know, the first 4 and last 5 seconds were not sweet at all.

[Androidpk]

Sorry Latrin/Clyde, but you don't have a leg to stand on. Go back to drooling over your boyfriend Lebron.

[Latrinsorm]

With pleasure!!! Wait...

Andy, just because a guy is saying things you like doesn't mean his not backing any of them up isn't shameless. (<-- In my defense, you try achieving reasonable parsing on a drool-slick keyboard.) You're being pandered to; the guy is the cotton candy of journalism: sweet, fluffy, and empty inside. I know something about each of those.

[Androidpk]

I'm being pandered to? Tell me how many episodes of Reality Check have YOU watched. There is a reason why he is the most popular local news journalist in the country. This isn't just some dude out to make a quick buck.

[Latrinsorm]

Yes, this video is pandering to you.

It could be that this video is hugely out of character and MO for this guy, but (as he says) the whole purpose of this experiment is to free himself from all editorial control. He could nuke it at any time if he found it unrepresentative, but he hasn't. Is he too busy murdering young children in 1990? I can't say for sure, but I can't rule it out.

"most popular local news journalist in the country" is not necessarily exclusive with "some dude out to make a quick buck". What do you think local news journalists make in two months? I'm betting it's less than $1.5m. I also am surprised that you would respond to my criticisms of his journalistic credentials by citing his entertainment credentials.

But I'll tell you what, Andy, with all that said: give me one episode of Reality Check where this fellow performs acts of investigative journalism. For the purposes of this prompt I am not interested in fine oratory, soaring rhetoric, thunderous denunciations, etc. Facts and citations, that's the ticket.