Media Watchdogs

When Ted Turner first started the twenty four hour news network, I would listen to the news loop around every half hour, never tiring of hearing what was going on in the world. These days, I can’t stand to listen to any news show for more than 30 seconds. My taste hasn’t changed, but the news has. Although I hesitate to call it news. More like celebrity gossip, wouldn’t you say?
The current topic on most shows is the dismal state of television journalism. I find this ironic, if not moronic, because rather than putting on a program with content, they talk about how they don’t have any content. Suggestion: Instead of discussing what a bad job they are doing, they should use that time to put on a real news story. For instance, how about the waiting list to buy hybrid cars at the same time that GM announces it is laying off 25,000 workers? Or instead of editorializing about why the Democrats want President Bush to explain the Downing Street memo, why not tell us what exactly was in the Downing Street memo?
Americans are turning off television news, but not because we aren’t interested in current events. We just aren’t interested in celebrity court room drama, ambulance chasing, or how reality television series are made.
Is it any wonder that the parody news show, ‘The Daily Show’ won another Peabody Award? When told that many young people get their news from ‘The Daily Show,’ one of the show’s writers responded, “I get my comedy from CNN.”
Nancy Sherer