Just judge for yourself.
Posted on 09/13/2004 8:43:24 PM PDT by Joe Republc
I'm asking as a devil's advocate...
Why should I trust Free Republic?
If someone pokes around here, can one reasonably discern what is truth vs. rumor? Can someone recognize here partisan conservative hype vs. unreported truth not covered by MSM?
If Free Republic is reliable, how come? What's working here that is not working in media, or even other web sites?
I have some of my own ideas, but I'm stirring the pot here to get your thoughts. I've been a Freeper for a few years now, and this week has been startling in terms of my own realization of what news we can rely upon and why.
-- Joe
Uhhh., yeah! Dan Blather doesn't post here. That's the ticket! Why would Dan Blather post here? I'm not Dan Blather pretending to not be Dan Blather, and I'm sure you're not either! Never would I pretend to not be Dan Blather if I were really Dan Blather. Honest! That's the ticket! Uh, yeah!
Just judge for yourself.
Just judge for yourself.
Because my wife is in TV news, and is constantly amazed at how we are not only a day to a week ahead of the news curve, but because we critique so heavily we also understand the implications (dare I say nuances) of any given story.
He do cut a dashing figure, don't he?
while there are "flakes", and people should alwyas be critical and discerning, I've always been amazed at the number of people here who actually know what the $%@# they are talking about.....hehe.
it's like having a huge family, yes there are kooks and wierdos in the family, but there's also lawyers, doctors, professors, engineers, financial guru's, and little old ladies who know how to solve that nagging problem you have...hehe
usually, some folks in a thread actually know more about the subject on the TV than the pretty face who reads the news, but other folks on the thread know less than you......so buyer beware.
the key to the success of this new media age is that it allows the average citizen to report, verify, and debate the news of the day. unfiltered.
In the last decade we have witnessed the liberation of information.
Many people still don't get it. They still cling to their comfortable dogmas and rituals,...the nightly news, daily papers, etc.
The Silicon Age has passed them by.
They find it inconcievable that a kid in New York can tell her story to the world by clicking a button. Or a kid in Baghdad, Beijing, or Bombay. But it happens every day.
It's pretty profound, really. We've overthrown the priest of knowledge. Now anyone can be a reporter, politician, expert, or participant. It begins here in America, and this is fitting. A revolutionary and individualistic people tend to take to these sorts of things. But we exporting this. Freerepublic is one of many sites in the US. But the concept has caught on around the globe. Today, we can read Iraqi bloggers praise, complain, and argue freely on the net. Soon this will spread across the Middle East. (It's already underway.) Then the Chinese, or anybody with a gripe or opinion can have their say. And there's not a dang thing the Party, The Press, or the established political order can do about it.
The electrons smashing on your screen are modern version of the Gutenberg Bible. As early printing spread knowledge and free thinking, so to will this tempermental infant we call the internet. If you have any doubt about this consider the following:
The electrons you are now reading were typed by a rather average graduate student in Kansas at 11:30 CST 9-13-04. They have since been transmitted and read by a young farmer in Georgia, a small business owner in Ohio, and a widow in Oregon. Maybe even a young dentist in Iraq, an english student in Indonesia, or a soldier in Afghanistan.
And you.
These squiggly lines belong to an archive you can reference later. You can agree, disagree, or ignore. The decision is yours, and that is the key.
Plus I'm not wearing a blue suit, TV make-up and reading a script from a teleprompter.
I'm just an average Joe telling you what I think.
1) Because the goals and values of the members are constructive, Constitutional, consistent, considerate, kind, often Christian and in behalf of members and The Republic in very redemptive, life-giving, fiercely protective and helpful ways.
2) FREEPERS have repeatedly posted events, observations etc. which were at least an hour ahead of the regular media and often significant minutes ahead when less than an hour.
3) FREEPERS number 125,000+ strong in members and often enough 300,000 unique visitors in a ?day? I think. We are more or less everwhere with expertise in a long list of disciplines and skills. We are alert, dedicated, educated, smart and caring. We are excellent observers and excellent reporters. Besides that, we have excellent connections virtually into everything and everywhere--somewhat globally.
4) Our accuracy rate on major events is way above that of a lot of the conventional media--though that's not saying much at this point.
5) We happen to be right on many major issues and they are wrong.
6) We support the Republic and it's Constitution and founding values. They are dedicated to establishing a socialistic, Communisitic, satanic globalist government. They will as the Bible indicates. We can evidently work with prayer and putting legs to our prayers to delay such somewhat--giving a chance to that many more citizens being alerted to the eternal realities involved. I realize this item will tarnish the credibility for many--but it is also, true--at least more than true enough.
Well said.
It doesn't matter one tiny bit if you "trust" Free Republic as your news source.
Each of us has to do our own thinking. We can share our thoughts or not. I go where I like going, and I like going here.
You pays your money, and you takes your choice.
;-D
And, our cats have better fur!
GREAT LIST.
LOL.
I love it!
thx
I haven't read through all the posts. But perhaps I should have asked the question as follows...
"Why should someone GO to FreeRepublic to GET their news?"
FR does let you do your own thinking. But, FReepers, don't sell yourselves short. This is more than a Google search result on news. What we choose to post, how we discuss it, how we criticize, how often we choose to post and discuss certain topics, what we editorialize ourselves about topics, all add TREMENDOUS VALUE.
-- Joe
The devil, a good angel he is, says "Relax! Here's the news for you all laid out the way you like it. Enjoy!"
So join that angel -- Enjoy!
Or be a Man. Prepare your own plate!
You probably also do not get your news in 5 second sound bites......and we offer you a place to talk back without sifting you through a screening process that only poroduces what we want the world to hear!
What more can you really ask for?
Hmmmm...I wasn't actually selling myself short. I WAS actually being snippy about it! ;-D
Maybe I was too subtle...LOL!
FR, and the blogosphere in general, should be thought as more of a system of "checks and balances" for the MSM. If they put something out that doesn't pass the smell test, the blogosphere will jump all over it. The MSM isn't going away, but now they will be watched much more carefully.
Buckhead did not ask us to trust him, he told us what he thought he saw (it appeared to him that the documents were proportionally spaced, which was odd for a typewriter of that era). This is not something one needs to be an expert to see.
Buckhead did not offer as evidence his own credentials and authority on the subject. In fact, he wants privacy! The evidence is there for us to see for ourselves.
"How could you not trust people named Big Bad Easter Bunny or Pukin Dog?"
And of course, one of the best named nicks......
Hillary's Lovely Legs.
Mercy........was a vision!!!!!!!
That was her second choice.
The first one was Hilliary's Fat Ankles.
Yahoo thought it was mean and wouldn't let Cyber Liberace use it.
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