Am I alone in thinking the news media is insane?

Harry Chickpea · #1 08/30/10, 09:45 PM

I could go on for pages about how the media twists and misrepresents, but I'll just quote a recent line from CNN that I also heard of CBS News:

"Rodents, piles of manure, uncaged birds and flies too numerous to count were found at Iowa farms at the heart of the recall of more than a half-billion eggs, the FDA said."

OK, all those who are raising chickens who don't poo, have birds that don't run around, and have zero problems with rodents (and flies), please raise your hands.

I have no problem calling the farms involved as careless and profit motivated over safety, but ---??? Who from PETA has invaded the newsrooms? Every chicken I have ever known has had bowel movements. Every rodent I've ever seen has been attracted to grain and food. Every fly I've ever run across would LOVE to create baby flies in manure or dead bodies of mammals.

ALL of that is a natural part of life. The media seems to think that not only does THEIR s--- not stink, but that it doesn't exist.

Arrrgh!!!!

Sonshine · #2 08/30/10, 10:26 PM

LOL I thought the same thing when I read about this. Guess they expect the chickens to stay in a sterile enviroment.

Navotifarm · #3 08/30/10, 10:29 PM

Uncaged birds??? That made salmonella? Why do I get the feeling a city person compiled that report? Probably had not seen the movie "Fresh" or even left the building to crank out her story based on a copy of some inspector's report.
Many newspapers are going out of business people aren't buying them any more. Advertising is way off. Staff has been cut to less than a third. No more travel expenses or meals on a voucher. They are doing the best they can. But that's not very good. Their hands are tied in many ways. They can't offend the advertisers. They don't want to be sued for slander. The public wants sensationalism. They have to take a mandatory day off without pay one day a week but still do a full week's job. Because of lack of staff they are assigned to cover stories in areas where they have zero knowledge or experience or interest. Lucky they got all the helpful volunteers sending in cell phone pics and stories!

Wolf mom · #4 08/30/10, 10:46 PM

We don't have REPORTERS today - we have commentators.

Remember when news articles answered who, what, when, where & sometimes why?

That was reporting the news/facts. Now everyone has to get themselves & their opionated ego involved.

SIGH

Bandit · #5 08/30/10, 10:54 PM

What Else Did You Expect From
Chicken Noodle News ?
Ps.
A lot of the TV Reporters are NOT hired for there Knowledge of the News , but they are fun to watch

fordy · #6 08/30/10, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

I could go on for pages about how the media twists and misrepresents, but I'll just quote a recent line from CNN that I also heard of CBS News:

"Rodents, piles of manure, uncaged birds and flies too numerous to count were found at Iowa farms at the heart of the recall of more than a half-billion eggs, the FDA said."

OK, all those who are raising chickens who don't poo, have birds that don't run around, and have zero problems with rodents (and flies), please raise your hands.

I have no problem calling the farms involved as careless and profit motivated over safety, but ---??? Who from PETA has invaded the newsrooms? Every chicken I have ever known has had bowel movements. Every rodent I've ever seen has been attracted to grain and food. Every fly I've ever run across would LOVE to create baby flies in manure or dead bodies of mammals.

ALL of that is a natural part of life. The media seems to think that not only does THEIR s--- not stink, but that it doesn't exist.

Arrrgh!!!!

................You have a very good point ! Now , I'll tell all who read here my problem with TV reporters who do interviews.......Say Matt Lauer is interviewing an expert in pollution , So , He asks the guy a Question , then Matt , Immediately starts reciting facts he has obviously boned up on that probably would have been contained within the Context of the Answer of the Person who was asked the Question . This just drives me bonkers , I'd tell him too shut Up , were it me on the Tv ! , fordy

Joshie · #7 08/31/10, 12:31 AM

My goodness sakes, our chickens don't poop. They sit there lookin' pretty. You mean yours don't? :baby04:

Bandit · #8 08/31/10, 01:07 AM

We have friends in Maine whose property backs up to " a large commercial Egg Farm " ( I would call around 5 million hens a large one ) in Turner Maine .
I won't comment on if we ever noticed any smells blowing on the wind , or had flies in our car a week after visiting them , ( even with the windows up ? ).
Bob

cider · #9 08/31/10, 03:42 AM

I'll admit...my chickens would eat maggots like candy!

Murray in ME · #10 08/31/10, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandit

We have friends in Maine whose property backs up to " a large commercial Egg Farm " ( I would call around 5 million hens a large one ) in Turner Maine .
Bob

The man who owns that farm (or at least a good portion of it) is the same guy connected to both farms in this egg recall. It's sure not his first time being in trouble for his business practices.

breestephens · #11 08/31/10, 05:36 AM

Poo? Chickens poo? I was wondering what that was I stepped in yesterday when I was gathering eggs. Darn I hope the media don't find out. Who do I need to call to check my eggs? Never mind I had them for breakfast.

HermitJohn · #12 08/31/10, 06:04 AM

Maybe they are proponents of growing meat in vitro, no filthy animals involved to contaminate it....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_meat

foxtrapper · #13 08/31/10, 06:07 AM

True, the reporters are not experts in poultry. But listening to the news report today, the inspectors were watching rodents running around, the poo was piled in front of the feeders, the feed was contaminated with poo, etc.

The conditions were not good.

geo in mi · #14 08/31/10, 07:33 AM

Here's a news report that may be a bit more factual: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/n...ry_102660.html

Perhaps a rat got ground up in the feed at the mill that serves both places...... (just conjecture on my part...)
geo

#15 08/31/10, 07:42 AM

"flies too numerous to count".......
Who counts flies?

Patt · #16 08/31/10, 07:59 AM

I read that completely differently: piles of manure: that means excessive quantities heaped around where they shouldn't be. Rats: there are enough of them to be seen in the daytime roaming around and more than one. You will NEVER see that in any of my animals barns/sheds. Chickens loose: I assume the majority of their facility contains caged layers so we are talking escapees that are not being rounded up and most likely poor or worn out caging. Flies too numerous to count: yep every farm has flies but if people are being swarmed by them you have a problem.

So that story told me a lot about that facility: it is filthy and vermin ridden and poorly maintained. No surprise that they had the biggest egg recall ever.

Witterbound · #17 08/31/10, 08:11 AM

I thought the same thing.

MorrisonCorner · #18 08/31/10, 08:13 AM

I agree that the conditions they were talking about were completely over the top, but I also got a giggle out of "fecal material" and "flies."

Like I don't have both...

sirquack · #19 08/31/10, 08:17 AM

I live in Iowa and even the local news is not reporting this. From what I have gathered from friends in the area of Iowa these two farms existed is that the conditions were excessively bad. They had poo piled over 8 feet high in one hen house. There was manure and waste run off coming out of the building. They even reported that the weight of the poo was pushing the door of the containment room outward. So we are not talking about just a little poo and a few flies and maggots. We are talking about a place that did not take the appropriate measures to contain and dispose of properly the waste products that were being produced by the egg laying ladies.
To downplay it because of the way it was reported is just as irresponsible as the way it was covered. At least someone is reporting on it. Here in Des Moines, the local news talks about it in light terms like it was not a big deal. Half a BILLION eggs recalled and over 1500 people sick because of it, is not just a little deal.

Rocky Fields · #20 08/31/10, 08:28 AM

Factory Farms are driving the small farmer out of business. I prefer to support my neighbor's kid who sells eggs. Long live the family farm!