I've written briefly about this before and the response has been strong. People don't want 24/7 massacre coverage. They don't want to know the latest about Anna Nicole Smith's mother's custody battles. They are angry that they can't turn on the news and watch the news. Instead, they turn on the news and watch a marathon coverage of some lurid or lascivious event that drones on and on. A while back, I mentioned that when the news gets this bad, I turn to either C-span, which, unless there are hearings going on, can be terribly boring, or, I watch the Science Fiction Channel (the Stargate episodes and battlestar galactica are my favorites.) Recently, readers have dropped me notes commenting "another sci-fi channel day."
Yep. It is a sad situation, when the reality we get on TV is footage from a singing contest, reporting on a South Asian teenager with funny hair, and Simon his critic. I detest the new reality TV-- makeovers, hairflip Donald firings, island survivors, bogus weddings-- I want real news-- real, varied, in depth. America needs it, in a hurry. It's not a luxury. It's a necessity. And if we fail to get it, we'll be in big-- make that deeper trouble. This is not a joke, not an accident. It is not an error of omission. It's part of the right wing war against the middle class, against democracy, against human needs vs. corporate control. Just remember that huge, transnational corporations-- mindless, soulless entities that do not have a responsibility to care about humans, are in charge of the news networks. They are not our friends. They are a threat to the survival of democracy and if left to their own devices, will corporatize all aspects of life.
We have to fight back, and while it is unfair, they have major advantages. They can't be killed. They have enormous financial resources, legal resources and they have already corrupted many in the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The world is witenessing the process of Democracy fighting for its life and its future. The war of the news media against America, against democracy is very real. It will take concerted planning, creative new approaches to media, dedication of resources and tough action to turn the tide. It starts with waking people up to realize that there IS a problem.
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