Don't you think the media should be doing a better job?

Question

With all the important issues that we have going on right now, is it right for the stories like: Anna Nicole's baby daddy, Alec Baldwin yelling at his kid, David Hasselhoff is a drunk, to get so much media attention and time that could be better spent dealing with real issues?

Answer 1

I agree that true investigative journalism has gone the way of the dodo. Even "legitimate" news media outlets have developed a sensationalized tabloid style to their reporting recently. However, I'm not sure whether the media is ultimately to blame for this, or if it's the consumers of said media. After all, the ultimate purpose of the "media" is to sell advertising time. This requires proof that they can attract as large a viewership or readership as possible. It seems that the American public is a lot more interested in trashy news than the real issues. Apparently, no one really gives a damn about how the DHS is spending billions of dollars without any accountability, because that's boring. They'll follow vapid crap like American Idol like their lives depend on it, though. The media is just dishing out the kind of news that they perceive Americans want. So who's really to blame?

Answer 2

It's tough to defend that stuff. The Nancy Graces (CNN) of the world seem intent on shoving it down our throats. A few points, though:

1. Somebody is obviously watching it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be on. The accountants sometimes give the orders on such matters. The electric bill still comes every month.

2. The all-news stations go on for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and need feeding. You can't spend all that time reporting on immigration policy or Western water rights. Some of the news is going to be soft by nature. Heck, my mother is a bright, serious woman, and she found herself interested in the Anna Nicole Smith custody battle. Made me worry about the gene pool.

3. I'm fond of saying "Vote with your dollars." In this case, you can merely change the station, or skip over pages of newspapers and magazines devoted to that sort of material.

Answer 3

Focus should be on our Real FOES not Hollywood nitwits.
See GlennBeck.com & Hannity & Colmes.
Too much Movie TV fluff in news, fine for E! TV & other Celeb news shows BUT not std cable TV.
Show more beheadings from Iraq etc.
Make Enemy Real or People wont Fight.
NO more Fluff pieces.
Challenge the Public & get Real.
Or change the Media via Web.

They arent doing a good job.

Answer 4

Well unfortunately those are the stories that everyone is looking for...Guess people are more interested in who's the father of Anna Nicole's baby then of the fact that in Africa there are children who are starving...The stories about celebrities bring more money then the ones about "real issues"...And I think that for them money is more important then anything else...

Answer 5

I absolutely agree with you. News is so trivial and profit driven that I don't even understand the supposed LIBERAL BIAS that so many are constantly complaining about. If anything, it suffers from an "intellectual bias" that is an insult to all points of view.

Answer 6

Unfortunately. our culture has sunk to a level where we worship mediocrity....otherwise, would Jerry Springer still be on the air after all these years?

Answer 7

People actually place import on the exploits of so called ''celebrities''. So it's really just the mindless feeding the mindless.

Answer 8

yes in telling both sides of a story

Answer 9

The media are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. What you want them to do is not what they are supposed to do. Quite simple actually.