News, in the traditional sense, has devolved into "infotainment" .. the traditional journalist, or what we were accustomed to many years ago (Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, John Chancellor, etc) .. now focuses as much, or more, on entertainment rather than hard news .. thus, depriving the populace at large on issues that should be brought more to the forefront .. while, instead, we are lulled into a false sense of fuzziness by more lighthearted presentations, human interest stories and emotionally tugging or even charged language .. and of course, if it bleeds, it leads ..
What we see as "news" these days has blurred the line between straight news and flat out editorialization .. it has become soft news, in too many cases .. based on the Cult of Personality in making the newscaster as much a part of the news as the news itself .. in addition, the splintering off of news Channels into their own networks has fueled and helped foster the distinct divide we have as a Country today, by being opinion sources fueled by their own agendas and catering to the public factions that are fed what they want to hear ..
As a country, we have divided ourselves into an almost countless number of sub-factions, each represented by some form of media, whether it be TV, Internet, 24 Hour News Networks .. this helps foster the "infotainment" aspect of Network News as it needs to conform to a more middle ground, or blandness, in order to appeal to the viewing public and not disenfranchise any one particular group .. the groups have their own representation, as we all know .. FOX on the Right, MSNBC on the Left, CNN trying to stay somewhere in the middle, etc .. and the sub-factions go even deeper with outlets like the Christian Broadcasting Network .. all designed to reinforce, rather than challenge existing values .. tune in, and you are fed a steady diet of what you already think you know, thus, there is no need for deeper thinking on most issues, since the "Newscasters" are constantly reinforcing what's already in your head .. why even consider another side of the coin .. ?? This is one, of many things, that divide us ..
It all boils down to the market driven nature of life in the New Millennium .. large corporations focusing on cashing in on niche demographics and the information industry deciding to tailor news to aspects that will create viewer loyalty and sell advertising time .. and we are generally comforted with what conforms to our personal beliefs and state of mind .. when a tragedy occurs, it becomes almost a series of episodes, because we stay focused on the event as it unfolds .. yet, how many take the time to think deeper into an event and ask how and why .. ?? It, in my opinion, uses propaganda effectively, and thus, allows erosion of an already fragile Democracy ..
I now relinquish the soap box to The Most Honorable Dave, who, if he so chooses, can expound on why News reporting today is as good or better than it was in Days Long Past ..
