The Tainted Print Media
What happened to the print media’s conscience and the influence of the Fourth Estate? The former is comatose and the latter is in tatters. Don’t blame the Internet. The condition is a result of suicide by a thousand cuts.
Try to find a front page, news story on immigration, terrorism, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Gaza, Korea, health care, education, entitlements, the environment or elections that doesn’t reek of political posturing. The national media uses news as a platform to influence public opinion. The front pages and lead stories are totally subservient to electioneering.
The print media’s prejudice not only exists in its text, but also in the subjects brought to the table and where they choose to place the news.
Agendas are spinning out of control. Slanted diatribes masquerade as insightful criticism. Opinions substitute for facts. The words of historical figures and political opponents are pulled from context to ridicule and demean. The analyzes incorporate selective documentation.
And that’s the good news. The bad news is, it’s nearly impossible to discern the truth in this labyrinth of political persuasion.
The articles and comments found on the Internet can be entertaining, and sometimes accurate. Most that enter this portal expect to find subjective thinking. It is a great outlet for opinion, but will never be esteemed for its universal objectivity.
Mistrust is the culprit that has brought the icons of American media to their knees. In their quest to secure and broaden their shrinking audience, traditional media has succumbed to the popular appeal of the Internet. It’s been a slow evolution, not a revolution.
It has been a few years since print media stopped objective, factual reporting—and became an Internet copycat. Worse yet, many newspapers seem to collect their news from this digital bastion of non-objectivity.
Why would any American looking for news bother to buy a newspaper, when its only distinguishable feature from the Internet is the delivery vehicle? The decision of traditional media to emulate the Internet shriveled the need to look beyond this marketplace for news.
The question our national print media should ask itself: Is our plummeting readership caused by Internet competition and cable news, or by our lack of objectivity?
It seems the Internet has infected the discipline and integrity once required of traditional news gatherers. Most of the weekly news magazines and national broadcasters have depreciated their value in a similar manner.
It would be refreshing if just one newspaper proclaimed that for thirty days it would make every effort to report the news without bias, or injecting opinion. It would be difficult to believe this disclaimer, because it’s obvious they couldn’t deliver. It’s not a question of good faith. They are so inured to their own propaganda that they no longer recognize the institutionalized bigotry in their ranks.
Our newspapers and national broadcasters, once the conscience of America, have forsaken the right to be respected. Today, their content is indistinguishable from the commercials and ads.
We’ve lost a national treasure.
Try to find a front page, news story on immigration, terrorism, Iraq, Iran, Israel and Gaza, Korea, health care, education, entitlements, the environment or elections that doesn’t reek of political posturing. The national media uses news as a platform to influence public opinion. The front pages and lead stories are totally subservient to electioneering.
The print media’s prejudice not only exists in its text, but also in the subjects brought to the table and where they choose to place the news.
Agendas are spinning out of control. Slanted diatribes masquerade as insightful criticism. Opinions substitute for facts. The words of historical figures and political opponents are pulled from context to ridicule and demean. The analyzes incorporate selective documentation.
And that’s the good news. The bad news is, it’s nearly impossible to discern the truth in this labyrinth of political persuasion.
The articles and comments found on the Internet can be entertaining, and sometimes accurate. Most that enter this portal expect to find subjective thinking. It is a great outlet for opinion, but will never be esteemed for its universal objectivity.
Mistrust is the culprit that has brought the icons of American media to their knees. In their quest to secure and broaden their shrinking audience, traditional media has succumbed to the popular appeal of the Internet. It’s been a slow evolution, not a revolution.
It has been a few years since print media stopped objective, factual reporting—and became an Internet copycat. Worse yet, many newspapers seem to collect their news from this digital bastion of non-objectivity.
Why would any American looking for news bother to buy a newspaper, when its only distinguishable feature from the Internet is the delivery vehicle? The decision of traditional media to emulate the Internet shriveled the need to look beyond this marketplace for news.
The question our national print media should ask itself: Is our plummeting readership caused by Internet competition and cable news, or by our lack of objectivity?
It seems the Internet has infected the discipline and integrity once required of traditional news gatherers. Most of the weekly news magazines and national broadcasters have depreciated their value in a similar manner.
It would be refreshing if just one newspaper proclaimed that for thirty days it would make every effort to report the news without bias, or injecting opinion. It would be difficult to believe this disclaimer, because it’s obvious they couldn’t deliver. It’s not a question of good faith. They are so inured to their own propaganda that they no longer recognize the institutionalized bigotry in their ranks.
Our newspapers and national broadcasters, once the conscience of America, have forsaken the right to be respected. Today, their content is indistinguishable from the commercials and ads.
We’ve lost a national treasure.
Labels: fourth estate, Internet
posted by David at
7:24 AM
