What’s happened to the News?
What’s happened to the News?
By Pj
March 12, 2018
I’ve had something on my mind that’s been bothering me for well over a year now. Every month, every day, every hour it bothers me even more and I just can’t let it go.
What’s happened to the News? Not the digital or social media platforms. Not the talk shows that the networks air for the purpose of appealing to their base. I’m talking about the real honest to god N.E.W.S…….news.
I’ve made a conscious effort not to get caught up in watching t.v. I’ll turn on the t.v. and catch the latest breaking news to see whether there’s anything of substance. Many times it’s really not “breaking” news at all but rather “breaking speculation” or yesterday’s story regurgitated with a new twist.
The evening talk shows boast expert analysts and contributors. They’ve turned America into one big reality show. Is this an unintended outcome born from this past presidential campaign and election……probably……I mean yes, I believe it is.
Here’s what I don’t understand. These networks haven’t learned from their past mistakes but rather they’ve double downed on trying to convince a small minority of voters something in which they will NEVER accept or care about.
The networks develop their programs specifically around and for the purpose of debunking, debating and disputing anything and everything related to this President. Who cares about this small faction of people that are the President’s supporters…..I DON’T. I’m tired of the country revolving around a group of voters that are not the majority of the country.
Until these networks realize that there’s a majority of people out there that don’t want to hear about the daily craziness of this Administration, until they stop rewarding this President with 24/7 coverage we will remain prisoners to a minority of voters.
Can we please get back to real news now?
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Can we please get back to real news now?
Who cares about this small faction of people that are the President’s supporters…..I DON’T. I’m tired of the country revolving around a group of voters that are not the majority of the country.
Well, about half the population voted for him and he was elected honestly with no help from other sources, like Russia. As for your second comment, that's the way this country works. The left needs to learn what the citizens really wants in the way of leadership, because the Democrats sure can't provide it, and Hillary would have been a terrible president.
Well......I'm not sure I can agree with how you measure half or help. I do appreciate that it is your opinion and I will respectfully disagree Greg.
I am just advocating for the news to stop speculating so others will stop speculating too.
Try the BBC or NPR both are much better than the crap on television.
Associated Press streams news (audio) online 24/7 .
I hear you on that PJ. I have a hard time finding any real breaking news or investigative reporting. It's pathetic. Where are the Ed Morrows and the Tim Russetts (who was probably the last of the truly unbiased reporters). I find it very frustrating.
I do tune in to the BBC, NPR and the AP. But really most of what is on the interwebs.. is utter crap, one way or the other.
There is "news" all over the place, just not on the tv 24/7 news channels , which are more "infotainment" than straight news.
Yes, there are other news outlets that we can view/listen to but that is not going to get rid of the mainstream media problem.
My point is, until these platforms refuse to make this type of reporting into a normal news cycle, the President's supporters will continue to feel they have a complaint.
Sometimes the best way to put out a fire is to smother it. Take the air out of the room.
We're all getting sick of Trump's crazy antics and constant lying, PJ, but when the President of the United States is as outrageous as Trump is, it beats out all but the most serious events for headline news, it just does. We don't need to ignore Trump, we need to keep pointing out his obvious unfitness for office, and RESIST!
Of course.
I'm as outraged as anyone who still respects basic moral values. I'm not saying that the investigation should stop or that the policies that this Administration enacts shouldn't be reported. I want the facts reported without speculation, opinion or psycho analysis. The facts can stand on their own. Let's give it a chance.
I have no problem understanding what the facts are; there are many reputable sources of news. I don't need anyone to tell me Trump acts like a jackass, I can observe what he does, read his tweets, and hear him spew stupid crap on a daily basis. He's a total mess of a human being and a horrifying president. This is obvious to anyone who evaluates him objectively.
Oh yes, Lenny, you're being so very objective .
Morning Buzz! Yes, that was a very objective analysis of Trump, and one that millions of conservatives in America wholeheartedly agree with. Donut?
Six decades ago, when I was the Editor-in-Chief of my university newspaper, we considered The Christian Science Monitor to be our ideal and model, both for its format and especially for its (then) unbiased reporting. It won many awards for being unbiased back then. Unfortunately those days are gone because it has since turned at least somewhat left wing.
The BBC was mentioned above. It has won more "Most Biased Media" awards than even the New York Times for its deeply ingrained bias.
I agree with Perrie in that the day of unbiased reporting no longer exists. It makes me think of a song that the imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps used to sing:
Tell me where can I go? There's no place I can see. Where to go, where to go. Every door is closed to me. To the left to the right, it's the same in every land. There is no place to go, and it's me who should know. Won't you please understand?
Buzz, by any objective standard, on Newstalkers you are a right winger.
Just accept it.
Okay John, how do you explain this? I have already indicated these things on NT. You say I am right wing, however, how right wing am I if I have always professed that I believe in:
Gun controls - I grew up and lived most of my life in Canada, and was always happy with gun controls, now I live where they are controlled to the extreme, and I'm even happier about that.
Abortion - I believe in free choice - a woman has the right to her own choice whatever it may be.
Universal health care - what I said about living in Canada, where I always appreciated the advantage of universal health care. When I turned 65, I also got all prescribed medicine by paying only a very small dispensing fee. Those things save lives and prevent bankruptcies due to illness.
The conservatives on NT don't disown me because of my liberal preferences. At least THEY know I'm fair and an independent thinker.
I'm sure there are more things that liberals believe in that I also would favour. SO HOW DOES THAT MAKE ME RIGHT WING? Is it because I support Israel's continued existence and the right of its citizens to live in peace and free from fear of attack and despise terrorism? Is it because I think immigration requires careful vetting of immigrants? Is it because I believe that those who report what's actually happening in the world are wrongly accused of hate mongering? Is it because I believe that the SPLC is a despicable witch-hunting hate site? Is it because I consider Alan Dershowitz to be a brilliant fair-minded jurist who should be a Justice of the SCOTUS? Is it because I don't disagree with actual facts that are reported by The Gladstone Institute, and am open-minded enough to appreciate many of the opinions provided therein, ESPECIALLY when they are provided by Muslims? Is it because you think that when I have many times criticized any fanatical fundamentalists of any religion including fanatical Islamist fundamentalists I hate ALL Muslims? Is it because I cringe when I see pictures of people burning the Stars and Stripes, or shouting "Death to America", or disrespecting the national anthem (which in my opinion honours your nation, your country, NOT its temporary administration)?
One thing I do know is that because of my not being an American I can be a lot more objective about those things than you.
So why do you think I am right wing?
I'm not disowning you, I am pointing out the preponderance of your output on NT (political) is in support of right wing themes.
The Christian Science Monitor is "biased" ?
What is the NY Post Buzz?
For a couple years now you have complained about liberals and "leftists". When in those months and years have you criticized conservatives in specific? I haven't seen it.
Allright you are pro-choice and pro universal health care. I will give you that.
So you never read (or just ignored) the many critical comments I've made about guns and proselytizing (both being conservative issues)? Perhaps I haven't named specific members unless I've addressed those members directly in my comments as I have done with you, and I've been careful not to attract purple ink.
Besides, some of my best friends on NT are liberals - but then some are conservatives as well. So where am I if not in the middle somewhere? In any event you have no right to label me - but as I've said, the NT conservatives have not criticized me for having any leftist views, so I don't disrespect them. However, how should I feel about those liberals, like yourself, who disparage me for having any conservative views? That alone makes a point for me.
I have to suggest ignoring him.
You are one of my favorite NV/NT people despite the differences we have had on occasion.
We are all a mixture of views which makes most labels unfair and inaccurate...
Hang in there my Canadian, resident of China, friend keep taking pictures
and speaking your mind.
It used to be better, but now its definitely biased.
NYC has 2 tabloids. The Post has a definite right-wing bias, and the Daily News has a left wing bias.
There is no news source that does not have one bias or another.
There are some that are pretty fair Buzz, like The Pew.
The Pew appears to me to be more about statistics, like Gallup Poll. What actual news sources do you think are fair?
I guess it must seem that way to people who don't understand what has happened to the American political spectrum. The Republican party has degenerated into nothing more than a gang of corporate thugs and Democrats like Obama and the Clintons are so centrist, they lean RIGHT if anything. The mainstream news used to appear more centrist because the Republicans used to have something to offer. The news hasn't 'gone left,' the country has gone right, big time. America is nothing but a banana republic now. People like you and Perrie need to wake up.
Well Lenny - such a broad canvas paint brush there.
91% of all news relating to Trump is "Negative" news - 91%. Seems like the losers just don't wanna quit losing.
And Lenny - that 91% is NOT made up of Republican reporters.
Trump is the most unqualified president in US history, and it's not even close. The opposition to him should be 100%.
Only in your world John - only in your world.
Obviously more Americans agree with me than you. Donald Trump's positive ratings have been in the upper 30's ever since he took office. He has NEVER had the support of half or more of Americans. That makes your comment inoperative.
@ Lenny
I assume you are addressing me with your last sentence. I'm as awake as I've ever been. Please explain this to me, my personal donut provider: if the majority of Americans voted left wing in the last election, why do you feel the country has gone right, especially big time? Since the American news media preponderantly disseminates left-wing opinions, and so many American universities exert left-wing bias and ideals upon its students, many even banning right-wing lectures, that if are permitted are often shouted down by the proselytized student population, why do you feel the country has gone right, especially big time?
And America is a banana republic now? No, it isn't, its just reliving a civil war not between states, but between individuals. Being a movie buff, I think about the movie "Back to the Future", in a reverse situation - which is now "Forward to the Past". What is verbal today, with the huge gun ownership and gun worship in the USA, I think more that THIS is what may be in store:
And it's not Russia that's going to do it. It's your own extremist citizens. Those Americans who are religious and believe in God should start praying for a future that doesn't cause Lady Liberty to do this:
Lenny,
Sorry luv, but I disagree with you. I have spent my whole life as an independent and what I have been watching is each side push the other side, and with each push, each side moves to further away from the middle, which leave the middle with no place to go. Neither party represents me, but never more than now.
You try to balance your political affiliations on the head of a pin.
No one is right dead in the middle unless they intentionally choose to be. Anyway, what if according to you , a moderate political party should be pro choice , and let's say , against building a wall at the border, and someone else, your fellow moderate thinks that the party should be pro life and support a border wall? How will you reconcile contradictory positions in a political party that does not have a basic ideology?
You are looking at this the wrong way. This is not about being 'in the middle' but rather about thinking for oneself.
Sometimes an independent will align heavily with a particular party if they are more correct (in the mind of the independent) than the other party. Sometimes an independent will disagree with both parties. Sometimes an independent will be evenly divided and have a hard time determining which candidate will gain their support. In short, the parties are not a factor.
To wit, independence does not mean 'in the middle' but rather 'independent thinker' or 'critical thinker'. The exact opposite of an ideologue or a partisan. The exact opposite of one who is persuaded by group think.
Political parties, political ideologies are religions. In this regard, independents are 'atheists'.
I totally agree. The country is extremely polarized, and its getting worse..
I have never seen so many people I know say they didn't like either presidential candidate-- so many disliked both Trump and Hillary.
And also found it ironic that with all the candidates who initially entered the primaries, the two with the highest Disapproval ratings in each party got the nominations!
Tip O' Neill was a liberal Democrat from Boston. He was around quite a while-- he was to only Speaker of the House to serve so many terms. And not surprisingly, his political views were the opposite of President Reagan. They argued politics bitterly-- but had a cordial relationship. (Reagen said that they were "friends after 6 PM"). What a difference from the sleazoids that most poliiticans today are...
Which political party are you referring to? The "Independent Party"? (Does it even exist?).
But you could ask the same question re: the Democratic or Republican party. There are many divisions in both parties.
Which Party currently supports a balanced budget-- and is therefore opposed to deficit spending? Which party supports free trade-- and therefore opposes tariffs? Which party takes a stronger stand against foreign enemies such as Putin's Russia?
Both parties are split on some or all of those issues.
Sorry Tig, the idea that only political independents are capable of thinking for themselves is silly. The political spectrum goes all the way from anarchist on the right to anarchist on the left. The right half of that spectrum is generally represented by the Republican Party and the left half of the spectrum is generally represented by the Democratic Party. There is in theory an opening for a fairly large third party near the center, but in an historically two party nation third parties have not done well, certainly not in terms of actually winning . But where is your evidence that those who are farther right or left of center can't think for themselves. Do Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders not think for themselves? I am largely liberal in my political beliefs, although I do have some conservative beliefs , which on a forum I largely leave unexpressed because I don't want to be seen as a centrist on a forum, I want to be seen as projecting a point of view.
Amen!
Yes it is silly. Note that I did not make that point.
My post explained to you that independents are not those who balance their views on a pin (as you claimed), but rather are independent thinkers who are not aligned with a particular party or an ideology. I clarified to you that independents are such because of critical thinking and the lack of group think influence (non-partisan, non-ideological). That is what makes an independent - the intellectual freedom to decide on the merits regardless of the position of a particular party or ideology.
Don't run to the extreme (straw-man territory) and claim that means only independents can think critically - doing so, you completely miss the point I made.
And that is why when I cast my vote I went 3rd party , even knowing they had a snowballs chance in hell of going anywhere near winning.
like Perri, neither of the 2 dominant political parties in this country can say they speak for or to me enough to get me to vote for them consistently .
The word "win" should really be in quotations along with words "presumptuous" and "undeclared". Wake me when the results are actually official instead of wishful thinking.
At this point I no longer consider myself either a Democrat or a Republican. I suppose I could be best described as being an "independent". However I don't see any virtue of "being in the Middle" just for the sake of being that!
On some issues I feel that being in the middle may indeed be the best approach-- but not on others.
(I consider myself to be more than a bit of a non-conformist-- although ironically I often now find myself being part of a growing trend-- recently more and more Americans nolonger identify as Republicans or Democrat, but rather they do see themselves as independents).
And beyond that-- it seems more and more Americans no longer identify as "liberal" or "conservative"-- many feel they are liberal on some issues, and conservative on others.
Where did the opening quote come from? I do not see where I wrote that.
We need to get back to that after 6PM rule.
John, your last sentences I’m responding to are all that is wrong with American political discourse and forums like this one. You repress some of your viewpoints because they detract from what you want to project yourself to be. That’s sad.
No need hold back...why don't you tell us how you really feel
Just telling you like it is Krish, you 'both sides are to blame' types just don't get it. Donald Trump is the President. If that doesn't wake you 'centrists' up, I guess nothing will. If the country can't unite against a dangerous lunatic like Trump, how can we ever unite?
Actually I do realize that. My comment #7.4 was actually a feeble attempt at humor on my part . . .
(And anyway, I do realize that ESTP types tend not to "beat around the bush" . . . ESTPs are definitely "straight-shooters", they like to "tell it like it like it is" . . .that's who they are!
(My comments are not intended to be judgmental, but rather are intended to merely be descriptive)
Sadly the News died along with common sense, circa the 1980's.
With a few exceptions, the general news media no longer only reports the news, they are a part of it. In some cases they have created news where there really isn't. But then again it seems that many would rather be entertained than informed these days.
Perhaps during normal times maintaining one's political independence might be a prudent path. These are not normal times. Those who cannot or will not choose sides during this nation's time of great and imminent danger serve nobody excepting themselves. They are appeasers. They are colluders. They will be seen as those who stood idly by during our crisis thus as culpable as perpetrators. If you cannot figure out whose side you are on today then what in the Hell good are you? False equivalencies are on their faces false. There are no equivalencies between our political choices at this juncture of American political life. Either one is with our righteous resistance or one is, not...
Those within the media forcing us to continually look directly upon the face of our dire political situation believe they have no other honorable choices. History will be writ. History will not be kind to the undecideds during the advent of this tyranny.
Are you repeating what Communists bots are saying?
Who are we independents appeasing? Who are we colluding with? Undecided? If you cannot figure out whose side you are on today then what in the Hell good are you? Trump wouldn't have been elected if we had just stood idly by.
If you cannot figure out whose side you are on today then what in the Hell good are you?
I am unaware of any requirement of having to choose a party or an ideology to have value as an American citizen.
Either one is with our righteous resistance or one is, not...
Who's righteous resistance to what? Having our own beliefs on individual issues? If you believe in a woman's right to choose you are lefty. If you strongly support the 2nd Amendment you are a righty. If you do both, you are a nothing? Those are party standards not American.
History will not be kind to those that strive to divide.
No it will not be kind to the gop - the greedy old perverts (and pricks)
Well, which is it? How can you say that I am wrong about history not being nice to those that strive and divide while saying that history will not be nice to the GOP? Your comment is a perfect example of divisive partisanship.
Your haste to disagree with me has caused you to speak with a forked tongue by agreeing with me. Both Parties speak about unifying while continually taking actions to divide. That is the bane of partisans. When you speak with only one eye open, you are half blind.
I have started just watching local news for television. I listen to it in the morning while getting ready to go to work and try to catch it in the evenings. My local stations do report news unlike the politically biased crap the networks and cable channels go on and on about. It is hard to get any other news besides politics on the network and cable channels.