Greater Philadelphia Thinking Society

24 Hour News Cycle

July 29, 2012 · 10:30 AM
Capriccio Cafe & Espresso Bar

Does the continuous news cycle hurt America? Many, such as Jon Stewart, claim that since 9/11 the 3 major news organizations (MSNBC, CNN and FOX) have created a constant feed of information into our living rooms. While at first glance this may sound good, more information being a good thing, the effects of a constant, ever changing stream of information might actually hurt our understanding and interpretation of the news.

The rapid pace of the news has also created situations where news organizations, wanting to be the first to break a story, report the news before having all of the facts. The most salient, recent case is the reporting by Fox and CNN on the Supreme Court decision regarding the Health Care reform. We will explore the structure of the news cycle and how it has changed over the years while trying to dissect how it influences our perceptions of world events.

We will discuss the following topics:

the pros and cons of a 24-hour news cycle
how other social media (Twitter, Facebook) contribute to this flood of information
what happens when there is no news to be covered
biases of news organizations and how this is expressed
what will the next stage in news reporting look like
reporting the wrong information and its effect on society
whether or not the rapid pace of the news causes people to be more or less apathetic

Resources:

This discussion will be led by Katie.

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Jean Swisher

Michael, this has been a very good discussion of the attendance situation. It is what it is. The word "commitment" today has various meanings. To many people it doesn't mean much. Some don't show up for weddings where the bride's parents threw away $75 a person for a no show. Some miss doctor's appointments. Some are in "spaceland" and don't know that there is anything going on...... We are here to please the masses not the asses. It is not an exact science. The guy at the top takes the heat. TY

0 · July 31
Charlotte Wilson

For 9 years I had a discussion group in town HUGS.
You just showed up. During the week, I got a million calls & many promises saying "I'LL BE TEHRE" & just as many no shows. The single world is fickle, if something better happens you lose'em. I would take a reservation & maybe 1/2 will show. At Cappricio which is NOT condusive for a good discussion, all the wait list people could have been there yesterday & still would have been room to go to the bathroom!!

0 · July 30
Michael Tweed

I know the problems, and I deal with them as best I can. But this is just a hobby and there is only so much I can do. I feel it is better to have the group with its problems than not have it at all. I do wish people would realize we are doing the best we can.

0 · July 30
Michael Tweed

I don't believe that it is appropriate to kick people out of the group entirely becuase they don't show or only show once in a while. They aren't the people causing the problem anyway.
The 3 no shows is a monumental management task, which is unrealistic to implement when a group meets every week with different organizers.
The only real solution is to find a venue that can accommodate lots of people where a wait list and no shows don't matter. If anyone has a realistic suggestion let me know.

0 · July 29
A former member

Hank,
Thanks for pointing that out. I think such a policy is a great idea.

0 · July 29
A former member

Just take a look at the huge number of people who have not even visited this group webpage once in over a year and you will be astonished.

0 · July 29
A former member

This group has 1,278 members! It produces not more than 15 attendees. That is a common meetup problem across all meetup groups because meetup allows people to join as many groups as they like. Some people sign up for as many as 90-100. There is no way a person can possibly manage such a huge number of groups. The lack of a policy for preventing this -- by meetup top management or group organizers results in the ruin of many serious groups. I generally leave groups withot a policy in place.

0 · July 29
A former member

Well, why not just send an email out to wait listers whose status has been changed by a space opening up. I realize that any change will probably require closer management by the organizers and a change of existing methods will probably be needed. I did not intend for my comment to be taken as the only solution. My hope was that it would open up some discussion about the problem. I am glad you commented. I think it will result in open discussion of alternative methods which will correct things.

0 · July 29
Hank

As usual, great discussion by a variety of people with different experiences and perspectives.

0 · July 29
Charlotte Wilson

A fantastic dynamic discussion!!!.

Wonderful that this group is all ages, from all different levels of life & life experience & can discuss in a fairly intimate setting their views, values & in a few minutes you have to like them. Honesty, humor and a helluva nice group today, look forward to the next one.
I'm hooked!

0 · July 29
A former member

It is too bad people did not say they were not coming. I was on the waiting list and really wanted to participate and would have been there! Now I know to sign up early and commit to lock in to the event. I am looking forward to future topics.

0 · July 29
A former member

I agree Margie-- it is a shame. I can only hope that some corrective action is taken.

0 · July 29
A former member

Great meetup! But, we need a mechanism to remove the persistent "no shows" in the group. See my comments in the comments section.

0 · July 29
Margie

Yes, I would have liked to attend and was on the waiting list. Sorry I missed it, Margie

0 · July 29
A former member

9 out of 15 attendees is unacceptable for 15 yes RSVPs. It deprived Jean Swisher and others (16) on the waiting list of a chance to attend. I suggest the "3 and out rule." You must change RSVP "yes" to "no" 48 hours before the meetup if you plan not to come. Can't make that decision 48 hours in advance? click no. People who remain as RSVP "yes" until meetup time and don't show are "no shows." 3 no shows and you are out. It works for many groups. It is a show of authority, but needs to be done.

0 · July 29
A former member

Katie,
First, I want to say you did a great job as moderator of the 24 Hour News Cycle meeting. Thanks to all participants of this group (everyone who attended) for their meaningful and significant contributions. This was a great meetup. However! I think it is imperative now to separate the wheat from the chaff. The wheat are the small group of regular attendees. The chaff are the many no shows. We cannot possibly discuss the size of our new venue whithout an accurate count of participants.

0 · July 29
Jean Swisher

With more people on the waitlist than are attending today, July 29, there has to be something done to accommodate more people that want to attend. Sunday mornings are a great idea and it is one of the reasons that I joined the group. I also like the Center City location. 1-4 is a good time in many restaurants on a Sunday afternoon. There has to be a way to remedy this situation. If there is anything that I can do to help, just give me a call.

0 · July 28
Katie

Unfortunately we don't have a location that is big enough to handle that many people. If this meetup is successful I would love to have a followup down the road. I also encourage people who have signed up and don't plan to attend to change their RSVP's so that others may join.

0 · July 26
Jean Swisher

Can you divide into "two" groups?

0 · July 26