An interesting take on local tv news

Lensmith

Member


http://www.cagle.com/2011/11/your-local-broadcast-news-is-making-us-stupid/

..Your local news opts to put a camera in the face of a crime victim and be a staple of “fear porn” rather than ever tackle difficult segments holding the school board/city council/mayor/state legislature/governor accountable for anything.

Why can I assume without sitting down and watching a week of your local newscast that they’re more than likely gleefully doing a recap of what happened on Dancing With the Stars/American Idol/Survivor tonight? Because your local broadcast news is more than likely ratings driven. And because of the last couple of decades of ratings driven local news our Edward R. Murrows have all become Harvey Levins.

Why are Americans not even rising to the level of ill informed and topping out at totally clueless? Because as Homo sapiens, we are effectively distracted by shiny objects and Kardashians. Plus our monkey brains got a chance to evolve this long by being on hyper-alert for danger, so we eat up any story telling us about “the hidden dangers lurking in our homes!” So of course we tune-in as told and in that way reward our local yokels for their reportage. And local yokels as Homo sapiens … also like rewards.

It’s a vicious circle.

Full article here http://www.cagle.com/2011/11/your-local-broadcast-news-is-making-us-stupid/
 

satpimp

Well-known member
scratch and sniff

Local has become about tonnage. What is the easiest, taking time to make a dry story relevent or car crashes, fires, surviellence tape or puppies in drains? Holding out the space between commercials. Better Bard than Jester be, alas no one listens to the words. Housecats tend to get dazzled by the pretty flashing picture box.

Omar
 

cyndygreen1

Well-known member
Soooo...do we blame this on the consultants, the stations, the viewers? If a story happens (in the forest) and no one hears (or sees) it, did it actually occur?

There is a pendulum swinging...and I wholeheartedly hope it has swung fully over and is on its way back to center and then again to responsibility. Where I hope it lingers a while.
 

satpimp

Well-known member
Cyndy,

Yes, consultants, stations, viewers and anyone who forgot we were once the respected fourth estate... because we were as much about conducting service as commerce.

We the media have created our own myopic audience blissfully absent of depth or attention span.

The pendulum is hopefully swinging. So much data out there and the devil is in the vetting.



Omar
 
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