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Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 03:22 PM Feb 2019

Cable TV news: A mere shadow of what it could and should be


U.S. television news, in particular the cable news channels, are failing the American people by doing a far less than adequate job of informing and educating them on critical issues and problems facing this country. This part of the national media is, indeed, a mere shadow of what it could and should be.

We have the internet, truly one of the wonders of the world of technology, near or at the top of the list of providing information. It is a tremendous educational tool like no other. If one acquires the ability to search the web, using the right keywords, he or she can find almost anything.

But most Americans don’t regularly use the internet to inform themselves about day to day happenings in this country, they use newspapers, radio stations, and television, with most of the information coming from television channels.

One of the main reasons for the poor turnout in our mid-term and presidential elections is that a great many Americans are so poorly educated on the most important issues of the day. When they are uninformed it makes it difficult for them to determine who the best candidates are and, as a result, many of them just stay home.

https://www.nationofchange.org/2019/02/25/cable-tv-news-a-mere-shadow-of-what-it-could-and-should-be/
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Cable TV news: A mere shadow of what it could and should be (Original Post) Sherman A1 Feb 2019 OP
This message was self-deleted by its author Eliot Rosewater Feb 2019 #1
Did you know that the earth is flat? brooklynite Feb 2019 #2
Some people think news has to pay the bills. mwooldri Feb 2019 #3
The cost of running a top-notch newsroom procon Feb 2019 #7
It starts at school. procon Feb 2019 #4
In the beginning.... SoCalDem Feb 2019 #5
Precisely Sherman A1 Feb 2019 #6
Television is the worst possible medium for "news." hunter Feb 2019 #8

Response to Sherman A1 (Original post)

brooklynite

(93,834 posts)
2. Did you know that the earth is flat?
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 03:29 PM
Feb 2019

I read that on the internet.

The internet, like cable news, is a delivery platform and nothing more. What get put on it depends on what the audience wants and what producers want to deliver.

Remember when Al Gore launched a video journalism channel? How many people bothered to watch it?

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
3. Some people think news has to pay the bills.
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 03:40 PM
Feb 2019

The UK's Sky News does not make money. The BBC News Channel is well regarded but is regarded as a public service first and foremost. ITV had a news channel but that closed down years ago as a cost cutting measure. RT is of course funded by the Russian government.

What America might need is a C-SPAN of news - a news organization that is set up purely as a public service, has to abide by a fairness doctrine, and be available as widely as possible. The service should be funded by commercial broadcasters but not owned nor controlled by them. No adverts. Opinion and talking head shows should be limited to non existent. We could call it PBS News 24 or something like that.

procon

(15,805 posts)
7. The cost of running a top-notch newsroom
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 05:09 PM
Feb 2019

with well a informed research section, educated, experienced senior journalist, news reporters, and offices around the globe staffed with foreign correspondents and an army of international reporters. That was indeed part of the owner"s public service duty for getting their very lucrative broadcasters license.

Look at what we have now; young reporters who do not grasp the nuances of the issues they try to cover. Since they aren't well informed, they don't ask critical questions or challenge untruths. Without the gravitas that comes with knowledge and experience these reporters get mowed down and swept aside by the cocky, overbearing pesonalities they try to interview. Instead of getting informed, the viewing audience is subjected to an infomercial that the erstwhile reports handef to the policoes free of charge.

procon

(15,805 posts)
4. It starts at school.
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 04:51 PM
Feb 2019

Where are the mandatory classes on USGOV, civics, USHIST-THE VOTE? We ldo a huge disservice to high school grads, leaving uneducated with no understanding of how their own government works.

I don't even want to include parents because so many of them are tragically disinformed and only serve to spread the usual rightwing tropes they glimmer onto by being brainwashed at Fauxnews.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
5. In the beginning....
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 04:59 PM
Feb 2019

When CNN first started up, their anchors were in an old house..they sat at regular desks, and reported 24/7 from all over the world..

That's what made it so unique..They had nothing but time to fill, it was a delight to night owls like me..

I could tune in at 3am and watch something going on in real-time in London ...

When they were copycatted and all of them went to "shows", it all changed (for the worse)

They are just infotainment and their content is only useful to fill time between commercials

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
6. Precisely
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 05:08 PM
Feb 2019

I remember when CNN started on cable
And it was actually informative, now they brush up against journalism once in awhile. Like you I too came to the realization that they are just Infotainment when Obama ran the first time. Campaigns are just horse races to them.

hunter

(38,263 posts)
8. Television is the worst possible medium for "news."
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 05:16 PM
Feb 2019

The lizard part of the human brain is unable to distinguish television news, accurate or not, from reality.

Thankfully the lizard brain can't read, and can be dismissed by critical thinking.

The television in our house is a movie player. Netflix and DVDs is all it does. No broadcast, no satellite, no cable. Especially not "news."

Any video I happen to be exposed to might as well be CGI fantasy and propaganda until otherwise confirmed.


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