News media unfriendly to the Prius?

Evilshin · 05-13-2008, 03:05 AM

Recently with gas prices soaring... more and more local and regional news media have been reporting on fuel efficient cars...

So I was, as a new Prius owner viewing, a Canada AM report on fuel efficient cars with great attentiveness...

So they showed the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, the Mini Cooper and then the best of the best was the ForTwo Smart car!

Then they revealed tomorrow we will look at hybrids...

Tomorrow came and they showed the Prius... of course, no talk about actual fuel efficiencies what so ever like the day before... no talk about price... Then they started talking about the new domestic hybrids, like the crappy GM Aura hybrid... once again no talk about fuel efficiency whatsoever... (Definately no word that this crappy hybrid was less efficient compared with all the non-hybrid cars from the day before...)

Then they praised how now you can get a "normal" car that's a hybrid... hmmm....

So what's the deal with that??? Since that report I have watched local reports from boston to seattle all with the same kinda: These are the most fuel efficient cars and these are some hybrids that are not the Prius, and OH, this is the Prius, but you don't want to know about them...

Any thoughts?

Neicy · 05-13-2008, 07:11 AM

There's a lot of false information about the Prius specifically and hybrids in general out there and the media buys right into it. The American car industry is hurting and they are working hard to promote domestic car sales too. We need to continue to dispel the myths and it's a long uphill battle.

Code Blue · 05-13-2008, 09:09 AM

The news media are about, well, news. And it's not news that the Prius gets great gas mileage. It *is* news if there's something wrong in paradise, like that the car that is kicking the butts of everything coming out of Detroit is killing blind people. Yeah, baby!

Even if it's a stretch to make the "facts" fit the story, it's still scoopier to focus on other efforts than to have to repeat yet again that no car compares to the Prius if you want good gas mileage, blah, blah, blah. Nothing to see here, flip the channel.

Oohing and ahhing over Detroit's 35-mpg cars doesn't work so well if you throw in the Prius alongside. It's easier to ignore it to make the story they want to tell a little stronger.

I don't know about the report you saw, but it's possible it was a video press release, which are film reports produced by companies or organizations to look like local news reports but which focus the information to their viewpoint. There are more of them out there than most people know, because hiring actual reporters and film editors cuts into profits.

hobbit · 05-13-2008, 09:53 AM

There's a certain amount of resentment floating around for how
Toyota kicked our butts up one side and down the other. For a while
they could ignore the "up one side" part, because it was still
sort of a fringe thing and they could just sort of poke fun at
the "hypermilers" and economy-seekers. Now here comes the "down
the other", and they have no defense left, so they resort to
posturing and fisticuffs. Human nature for thousands of years.
"They do it better so we hate them", stated by the undiscerning
knuckle-draggers who are too lazy to dig in and learn *why* and
*how* they did it better.
.
We've already seen the press twist a whole bunch of stories that
started all positive, into sensationalist tripe that bashes
hybrids and their drivers as "american lifestyle"-threatening
freaks. Once in a great while a good, well thought out story
comes along, but most of it is just trash that isn't helping
to solve anything.
.
_H*

Tempus · 05-13-2008, 04:32 PM

It depends

First you have to know your Media Owner. Lots of Media is owned by people who have specific opinions and agendas.

Second, are they lazy? Lots of 'stories' these days are just some big businesses press releases. That certainly goes for 99.9% of what passes for 'auto reviews' in any print publication. They're just puff pieces.

Third, do they think they are crusading journalists. Without something to crusade against these guys get the shakes.

Fourth, are they looking for Ratings/Sales. This is usually the 'If it Bleeds it Leads' school. They will take anything and blow it up to the be the greatest threat to humanity since the Big Bang.

Fifth, are you reading the Onion or Weekly World News? Clues are headlines like "Di Hydrogen Monoxide Threatens over 2/3 of Planet Surface" and "New Study Reveals Birth is the Leading Cause of Death".

Come to think of it, these days, it's really getting hard to tell #5 from all the others

That and the fact that it really pains most media types to report ANYTHING good unless it involves puppies, kittens, drain pipes and trees. Seriously, what percentage of news coverage of Any subject you choose is positive?

05-13-2008, 03:05 AM	#1
Evilshin Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 86 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: Base Thanks: 3 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts Friends: 0	News media unfriendly to the Prius? Recently with gas prices soaring... more and more local and regional news media have been reporting on fuel efficient cars... So I was, as a new Prius owner viewing, a Canada AM report on fuel efficient cars with great attentiveness... So they showed the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, the Mini Cooper and then the best of the best was the ForTwo Smart car! Then they revealed tomorrow we will look at hybrids... Tomorrow came and they showed the Prius... of course, no talk about actual fuel efficiencies what so ever like the day before... no talk about price... Then they started talking about the new domestic hybrids, like the crappy GM Aura hybrid... once again no talk about fuel efficiency whatsoever... (Definately no word that this crappy hybrid was less efficient compared with all the non-hybrid cars from the day before...) Then they praised how now you can get a "normal" car that's a hybrid... hmmm.... So what's the deal with that??? Since that report I have watched local reports from boston to seattle all with the same kinda: These are the most fuel efficient cars and these are some hybrids that are not the Prius, and OH, this is the Prius, but you don't want to know about them... Any thoughts?

05-13-2008, 07:11 AM	#2
Neicy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wakefield, MA. Posts: 804 My Car: 2009 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 6	Re: News media unfriendly to the Prius? There's a lot of false information about the Prius specifically and hybrids in general out there and the media buys right into it. The American car industry is hurting and they are working hard to promote domestic car sales too. We need to continue to dispel the myths and it's a long uphill battle.

05-13-2008, 09:09 AM	#3
Code Blue Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Chicago Posts: 40 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: News media unfriendly to the Prius? The news media are about, well, news. And it's not news that the Prius gets great gas mileage. It is news if there's something wrong in paradise, like that the car that is kicking the butts of everything coming out of Detroit is killing blind people. Yeah, baby! Even if it's a stretch to make the "facts" fit the story, it's still scoopier to focus on other efforts than to have to repeat yet again that no car compares to the Prius if you want good gas mileage, blah, blah, blah. Nothing to see here, flip the channel. Oohing and ahhing over Detroit's 35-mpg cars doesn't work so well if you throw in the Prius alongside. It's easier to ignore it to make the story they want to tell a little stronger. I don't know about the report you saw, but it's possible it was a video press release, which are film reports produced by companies or organizations to look like local news reports but which focus the information to their viewpoint. There are more of them out there than most people know, because hiring actual reporters and film editors cuts into profits.

05-13-2008, 09:53 AM	#4
hobbit Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bahstahn Posts: 3,590 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 210 Times in 116 Posts Friends: 0	Re: News media unfriendly to the Prius? There's a certain amount of resentment floating around for how Toyota kicked our butts up one side and down the other. For a while they could ignore the "up one side" part, because it was still sort of a fringe thing and they could just sort of poke fun at the "hypermilers" and economy-seekers. Now here comes the "down the other", and they have no defense left, so they resort to posturing and fisticuffs. Human nature for thousands of years. "They do it better so we hate them", stated by the undiscerning knuckle-draggers who are too lazy to dig in and learn why and how they did it better. . We've already seen the press twist a whole bunch of stories that started all positive, into sensationalist tripe that bashes hybrids and their drivers as "american lifestyle"-threatening freaks. Once in a great while a good, well thought out story comes along, but most of it is just trash that isn't helping to solve anything. . _H*

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05-13-2008, 04:32 PM	#5
Tempus Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,693 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: News media unfriendly to the Prius? It depends First you have to know your Media Owner. Lots of Media is owned by people who have specific opinions and agendas. Second, are they lazy? Lots of 'stories' these days are just some big businesses press releases. That certainly goes for 99.9% of what passes for 'auto reviews' in any print publication. They're just puff pieces. Third, do they think they are crusading journalists. Without something to crusade against these guys get the shakes. Fourth, are they looking for Ratings/Sales. This is usually the 'If it Bleeds it Leads' school. They will take anything and blow it up to the be the greatest threat to humanity since the Big Bang. Fifth, are you reading the Onion or Weekly World News? Clues are headlines like "Di Hydrogen Monoxide Threatens over 2/3 of Planet Surface" and "New Study Reveals Birth is the Leading Cause of Death". Come to think of it, these days, it's really getting hard to tell #5 from all the others That and the fact that it really pains most media types to report ANYTHING good unless it involves puppies, kittens, drain pipes and trees. Seriously, what percentage of news coverage of Any subject you choose is positive?