Todays News:Journalism or Entertainment?

Tue, 05 May 2009 02:17:00 GMT

    I recently spent some time with a group of senior citizens and we were all discussing some changes in social America. Our country has progressed further and faster than many people expected it would. Important building blocks have been put in place so that a solid foundation for improvement in the social sector can continue to take place. One very crucial contributor to helping American’s stay informed has been the news media. Many of the people I was talking to told stories how family and friends would tune into the local radio stations for new stories. When television came along, part of family time included watching the news reporters and their daily segments about local news.
     When the capabilities of covering local news extended to world news, some television stations ventured into regular evening broadcasting. I remember as a kid sitting with my parents while they tuned in to see what was happening locally and abroad. Many of the news reporters and journalists were seasoned and well respected. They helped create an air of professionalism, even to a point of gaining interviews with some of the world’s most influential people. Do you feel that the news you watch today is unbiased and is accurate? Some of the seniors I was talking to feel that many news channels seem to be more concerned about ratings rather than quality of their programming. Maybe with the increased network of world wide information, the news media has to look for an edge to gain your interest.
     Some good points were brought up about news in today’s time. Stories about devastation or gore, such as with wars and fighting seem to sometimes be glorified, rather than presented as they are, which ultimately, is disheartening and costly. Even in wars, there are 2 sides to a story. A small trend with world leaders joking about events in their own country has started. Should world leaders make wise cracks about serious issues and concerns, or should they carry themselves with a little more dignity. Have the serious reporters sold themselves out for fame, sidelining hard reporting, so that they can have the opportunity to interview the Paris Hilton’s and Donald Trump’s of the world? Or have we as a society had a change of taste in what we like and want to see reported.
     With so many news outlets reporting on the same interest, and yet possibly giving a totally different point of view, which one is actually reporting the truth. There are also the news reports flooding the internet 24/7. Do we have 24/7 news reporting because there is so much to report, or because we like to be entertained? Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to read about local and world news at my convenience, but not at the cost of manipulating the truth. Warren Buffet just said today that he would never invest in any newspaper, because it would be a losing proposition. It is ironic, that originally, the newspaper was created to report the news.

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Todays News:Journalism or Entertainment?