Have been musing a bit about all things political here in the USA - especially amid all the kerfuffle about health care. Like all healthy middle-aged men, I have a channel surfing trigger finger and can bounce between CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and all the regular broadcast channels like a Chinese ping pong champ on crack! When there is heated discussion on an important issue or pending congressional vote, I will go through my usual process - watch the actual debate on CSPAN, turn quickly to CNN to hear the pundits take, then over to FOX to hear the histrionics on the right, followed by a quick channel turn to MSNBC to get the left's counter punch. Finally - I watch the "Cliff-notes" version on NBC and ABC, topped off with a lighter moment with Katie C on CBS. (Whew) At the end of all that, (after a Gatorade to replenish fluids) I'm left to try and make sense of it all. How I miss Walter Cronkite and the days of truly "fair and balanced" news reporting.
These days - it's not about solving a particular problem or reporting on things fairly from both sides. It's all about winning, the Arbitron ratings and the almighty advertising dollar. Fox News and it's veritable sponsoring of the Tea Party movement all but disqualifies it from being a credible news reporting source. MSNBC has countered by offering a steady diet of snarkiness and virtriol aimed back at the Fox bloviants Beck, Hannity, & O'Reilly (and now Palin.) I happen to think that CNN gets closest of all to offering both sides, but hearing their highly-paid "talking heads" weighing in over and over and over on a 24/7 news cycle is truly mind-numbing. (Thank goodness for Christiane Amanpour!)
Recently, while visiting family in Kenya, I enjoyed watching the BBC and Sky News. They seem to go deeper on subjects and offer a truly balanced approach. Oh, but wait....they are a government-run broadcast medium - not reliant soley on advertising dollars. What's a capitalist country to do?
Perhaps - among the 1000+ channels of cable TV drivel that I subscribe to - there should be one or two publicly paid for stations whose job it is to be factual, unbiased, and probing. We Americans truly need something like that in order to know how the country is faring during these harrowing times. Without relying on ad dollars, it might actually work. A pure broadcast channel dedicated to dispensing important info to American citizens. Sounds exciting - not!
That's the other problem - statistics and facts and positive change are just not as exciting as a golfer's love life, the President's new dog, and the sordid personal faux pas of our movie stars and elected officials. We like our TV to be like a circus side show - full of freaks and "believe it or not" spectacle. So - "step right up" America and come and get what you asked for.
AMEN Brutha!!!!
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in the UK for 2 and a half years I loved the BBC (The Beeb) but never trusted it.
I actually trust no one who A) wants to tell me what to believe. and B) Actually WANTS to run for public office.
Lloyd
What about NPR? OK, it's not TV, and OK, it does have a liberal slant, but compared to the various networks you mention, that slant seems negligible.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I thank the Universe for Christianne Amanpour.
I cancelled my TV two years ago this month. My mental health has improved noticeably. Highly recommended.
Your thoughts are always interesting to read. I appreciate your honest viewpoints on all of the controversial subjects. Although I personally lean just left of the center in regards to the political spectrum, I truly enjoy learning about the "right" side of every issue, and many times I support the right. Isn't it fun, and many times frustrating, living in a very conservative state and being able to see the real picture from every angle? Keep up the musings. I'll be eagerly waiting for your next post.
ReplyDeleteYou need to add PBS to that list. Newshour's coverage of politics and current events is second to none.
ReplyDeleteKurt, BBC is government-owned, but Sky News is private, started by Rupert Murdoch (of News Corp/Fox News fame) in the late '80s. He still owns a minority stake.
ReplyDeleteGovernment-funded media only buys you media beholden to government, also not a good thing.
Having spent 30+ years in broadcasting in the US, I've concluded that the real problem is people who attempt to use positions in government or journalism to "improve society." Lawmakers can only do it by taking our freedoms. Journalists can only do it by putting agenda above impartiality. I'm not sure which is more dangerous.
Trusting in government much? I still don't know WHAT you saw in Obama. He is a failure now for sure. Stick to music, bud.
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