Thursday, October 19, 2006
BREAKING NEWS!!!!! Or is it?
I spend alot of my work day bopping about the webs looking at various news sites trying to stay informed of the issues. Just now I clicked over to MSNBC for the 27th time today to see what they may be reporting a bit differently from the last time I checked in 12 minutes previously, and I was not disappointed.
BREAKING NEWS The announcement is highlighted in bold white block capital letters backdropped by a field of red. Of course my attention is drawn to what must be a block buster story of world import. I glance to the right of the alert and read the following headline. "Student dies after being stabbed at Florida high school bus stop".
what? I mean seriously... what? How is it that a local tragedy suddenly becomes international headline material.
Something is desperately wrong with the media today. I actually like MSNBC and this isn't going to change my opinion on them. But when this type of no consequence sensationalism is substituted for actual news, we are all cheated in a way. Why does this particular story get the blaring headline, but the signing of the military commissions bill by the President, and all the attendant consequences of truly historic magnitude is left to Keith Olbermann commentary for coverage. The truly ingrained corruption by this Congress and Administration warrant occasional paragraphs when the players plead guilty. What it took to make it all really blow up on the media was some perv getting caught diddling the Pages online.
Sensationalism substitutes for news on an all too common basis these days. I think our discourse is cheaper and stupider for it.
[Update: Immediately after posting this story I went back to MSNBC. They now have breaking news that the Orange County Republican Party is asking Tad Nguyen to drop out of his race due to the offensive mailing I posted about in the story immediately below this one.]
BREAKING NEWS The announcement is highlighted in bold white block capital letters backdropped by a field of red. Of course my attention is drawn to what must be a block buster story of world import. I glance to the right of the alert and read the following headline. "Student dies after being stabbed at Florida high school bus stop".
what? I mean seriously... what? How is it that a local tragedy suddenly becomes international headline material.
Something is desperately wrong with the media today. I actually like MSNBC and this isn't going to change my opinion on them. But when this type of no consequence sensationalism is substituted for actual news, we are all cheated in a way. Why does this particular story get the blaring headline, but the signing of the military commissions bill by the President, and all the attendant consequences of truly historic magnitude is left to Keith Olbermann commentary for coverage. The truly ingrained corruption by this Congress and Administration warrant occasional paragraphs when the players plead guilty. What it took to make it all really blow up on the media was some perv getting caught diddling the Pages online.
Sensationalism substitutes for news on an all too common basis these days. I think our discourse is cheaper and stupider for it.
[Update: Immediately after posting this story I went back to MSNBC. They now have breaking news that the Orange County Republican Party is asking Tad Nguyen to drop out of his race due to the offensive mailing I posted about in the story immediately below this one.]
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