The news used to be informative, and thoughtful, and now it seems more concerned about celebrities, and coming up with ridiculous names for them like vaughniston. What happened to the news?
2007-05-09 12:13:47 · 21 answers · asked by sandstone901 4 in News & Events ➔ Media & Journalism
The 24-hour news cycle.
Before CNN came on the scene back in the 80's, the news was something that you watched in the evenings. There was no "instant coverage" or "live action". For better or worse, this allowed people to compile the news thoughtfully, assembling stories from multiple reports with time for fact checking and accuracy. The dialogue was scripted, but polished.
Today, with CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and whatever else, there are more hours of news broadcast in a day than there are newsworthy events to talk about. And with the competition to "break" stories first, accuracy is something that is verified AFTER events have been reported. Reporters covering live events blurt out whatever drivel comes to mind, with no time for thought or analysis.
Furthermore, the time in between big stories HAS to be filled, so the same crap is restated a billion different ways, the same sound bites and film clips are looped endlessly, and the talking heads turn trivia, celebrity gossip and other inanities into topics of national conversation.
Basically, it comes down to one thing: News has exploded in quantity, at the cost of quality.
2007-05-09 12:16:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Follow the dollar. The News is funded by it's advertisers and ratings. Ratings go up when their is controversy, it could be Anna Nicole Smith's sex life, or the Scooter Libby's trials. Everyone is competing for ratings. The higher the ratings, the greater demand for advertisers, who are willing to pay a premium for the time slots and the demographics that view "the news". I don't know your age, but years ago when the news was reported by Walter Cronkite longtime anchor for The CBS Evening News the commercialism of news was non-existent. You just sat down at dinner time and the news was reported. In this day and time, National Public Radio has the closest format to how the news used to be reported. Com-Cast one of the largest media conglomerates, reportedly will not include Al-Jazeera as an option for people to listen to a different credible point of view. Legendary Journalist David Frost now reports for Al-Jazeera as do other accepted exceptional western journalists. These are the un-mentioned pressures, that are a partial answer to your question.
2007-05-09 12:40:24 · answer #2 · answered by mark_hensley@sbcglobal.net 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone is competing for ratings. The higher the ratings, the greater demand for advertisers, who are willing to pay a premium for the time slots and the demographics that view "the news". I don't know your age, but years ago when the news was reported by Walter Cronkite longtime anchor for The CBS Evening News the commercialism of news was non-existent. You just sat down at dinner time and the news was reported. In this day and time, National Public Radio has the closest format to how the news used to be reported. Com-Cast one of the largest media conglomerates, reportedly will not include Al-Jazeera as an option for people to listen to a different credible point of view. Legendary Journalist David Frost now reports for Al-Jazeera as do other accepted exceptional western
2014-12-31 07:27:09 · answer #3 · answered by Ahitraa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"News" used to be published and reported by the media which considered itself "the Fourth Estate", and honored its commitment to the American public as a watchdog and guardian over the evils of government. It was its sacred trust: keeping Americans informed about the hubris, evil, arrogance and corruption that (our founding fathers knew) always infested politics.
Over these past fifty years, however, the "Fourth Estate" has become nothing more than the government's pimp, reporting what the government reports without question, skepticism, or investigation. Today's media conglomerates (The News Corporation, Gannett Co., Inc., NBC News, even CNN and especially Fox "News". among others) are only interested in profits.
So it's far easier - and cheaper - to simply "read" the "official" government press release instead of sending investigators into the field to dig out the truth. The last time we've had any real investigative reporting was when two enterprising young reporters dug into the news of a third-rate burglary at the Watergate Hotel. It brought down a U.S. President, and revealed to the nation just how evil, corrupted and shamefully dirty politics had become.
Since then, the beancounters who run 'big media' have crawled into bed with government, snuggled up to their corporate counterparts in other industries, and shown themselves to be nothing more than whores, without regard for trustworthiness, integrity or accuracy when it comes to what they report as "news".
It's far easier to be more "concerned about celebrities" because all media has to do is read the publicists' press releases. Today's "news" is manipulated, contrived, often inaccurate, seldom fair or balanced, and certainly not part of the sacred trust the "Fourth Estate" used to have with the American citizenry. -RKO- 05/09/07
2007-05-09 12:27:48 · answer #4 · answered by -RKO- 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The news is still there.. The coverage not so much because most Americans seem to be more interested in whats happening with the 'stars' that producers have to follow the trend and try to keep viewers tuned in and interested.... Just look at the ratings and usually shows regarding television and movie stars are the ones that have more viewers!
2007-05-09 12:18:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Today, with CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and whatever else, there are more hours of news broadcast in a day than there are newsworthy events to talk about. And with the competition to "break" stories first, accuracy is something that is verified AFTER events have been reported. Reporters covering live events blurt out whatever drivel comes to mind, with no time for thought or analysis.
2014-12-31 06:42:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
real news its still out there and its still informative..you just have to know where to look.
What have you been watching ? The "Vaughniston" thing is way old.
CNN and Fox always have something to report on..what about NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams ? He's still there ?
Katie Couric still does her news in the evenings for CBS ?
What about Anderson Cooper 360 ?
2007-05-09 16:49:43 · answer #7 · answered by cnn360coffeebubbles 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the government wont' let the news stations tell us the real news, otherwise there would be a riot. this is all they're allowed to say. not to mention all the idiots who think that is news, which it's not. what a celebrity has for lunch doesn't affect me in any way at all. when will peopel learn this?
2007-05-09 12:17:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is a good question,I have been wondering the same thing. I think the news media thinks of us as a bunch of bimbos and they can fill in the news with all of this crap about celebrities.
2007-05-09 14:41:57 · answer #9 · answered by Mary H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Watch the National News on one of the major network news. You must be watching Inside Edition or Extra. Those are crap.
2007-05-09 12:17:50 · answer #10 · answered by April T 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋