The News

I remember the way the television news was back in the 70's and early 80's and I still marvel at the stupidity of the news producers. Someone in the upper echelons (one of the early graduates with a "marketing" degree, I'd venture) said, "Young kids aren't watching! They're the most important group! Let's make news vapid and sensationalistic!" First to go was international news, followed by in depth reporting on politics and judicial matters, leaving celebrities, politicians (as celebrities), disasters, and potential disasters with some "feel good" bullshit thrown in for the girls.

Surprise! Viewers began turning off the news in droves. Why? Because television news stopped showing what people that watch the news want to see. What were the programmers' responses? To hire younger anchors, show some leg, spend more time on celebrities and potential disasters (is this two lane road going to kill your family? That story coming up...), and generally show even less actual news. Little surprise that most Americans couldn't find Iraq on a map with the names of countries filled in already. Little surprise that a fool and thief like our current President could get elected despite having failed at everything he'd ever done other than underhandedly win an election for governor in a State half full of drooling morons in cowboy hats.

To some degree the gap has been filled by NPR and the internet for those of us that are still interested in learning what's going on in the world. Unfortunately we now have Fox and other cable "news" which spouts an endless stream of right wing propaganda, nearly meaningless headlines, and utter drivel with no mandate to serve the public interest. We also have the radio talkshow hosts who follow no journalistic ethics whatsoever and fill the empty brains of the ignorant fools that believe their made up bullshit and outright lies. Somehow they are allowed to pollute our public airways with this incendiary hate speech because they label their shows as "entertainment." I personally feel that every radio station that has ever broadcast Rush Limbaugh should have their license yanked and their general manager(s) jailed for violating their contract with the public. Sadly, our current administration is much more concerned with an exposed pastie* or a glimpse of a butt cheek.

Thank goodness for the BBC and the CBC for continuing to hold up an example of actual news reporting. Their reporters will actually badger politicians that dodge their questions and they stand on the ground where things are happening and tell us about what is happening as opposed to showing sanctioned clips of video with explanations from the State Department. Perhaps someday television news will take a lesson and get back to work filling us in rather than trying to titillate or scare us. I wonder if the corporate masters will ever let them.

*Isn't it remarkable that an exposed breast with star shaped pastie could bring such staggering fines and outrage? Would it even be legal to show The Benny Hill Show or Laugh In on broadcast television these days?