Cable news is a joke

Posted by S-Dott (Follow Me)- S-Dott is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Be advised that he'll engage in a political debate with any worthy adversary; however, he does not suffer fools gladly - To see more posts by this author click here

Over the past few weeks, I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely ridiculous cable news has gotten. It seems like no matter what network you tune into, there always seems to be more commentary and personality-based programming than quality journalism. You could flip over to Fox News and watch Glen Beck trying to create a metaphor for a totalitarian government by throwing a frog into a boiling pot of water, then switch to CNN and listen to Lou Dobbs rant about illegal aliens and the growing Mexican conspiracy, then flip over to MSNBC and listen to Chris Matthews constantly (and with noticeable awkwardness) interrupt his guests mid-sentence with an ostensible disregard to objectivism. It’d be laughable if there weren’t so many pressing issues that needed serious discussion, and moreso if the networks used their regular anchor segments to broadcast news in a responsible fashion. However, considering that the major networks spent an unbelievable 2 weeks covering the death of Michael Jackson, cable news is a tragic comedy at best.

If you read print press (either via newspaper or the web), you’re going to be at least 2 days ahead of whatever the news anchors are going to broadcast on the networks, so don’t bother watching cable news if you expect to acquire any additional information you don’t already know. The reason they’re so far behind is because they spend a significant amount of airtime talking about ridiculous topics (the Gosselins, the most recent sex scandal, ‘Dancing With the Stars’, etc.), which in turn leaves the relevant news for somebody else to cover. I’ve been a firm believer that if you want to be considered a legitimate and professional news organization, you have to keep your network free from anything that would be seen in either a tabloid or a social magazine. In other words, stay away from the ‘sensationalist’ bullshit. If I wanted to hear about Paris Hilton’s latest exploit or Michael Vick’s bankruptcy hearings, I’d go buy a copy of People Magazine.

The other problem appears to be drawn to the fact that news networks shot themselves in the foot with the advent of the 24 hour news cycle. Now, you have anchors scrambling to try and make ANYTHING the subject of the day.

The constant internetwork bickering is yet another sad display. Whether it’s Rick Sanchez using his show to combat Fox News’ allegations (because a network like Fox has such a “trusted” reputation, right?) or Keith Olbermann’s over-the-top ‘Special Comments’ (which I’m sure is causing Ed Murrow to turn over in his grave), it’s no wonder why the vast majority of the American public genuinely has no idea what’s really going on. Legitimate journalism has completely succumbed to a ratings chase that’ll only worsen an already disasterous situation.

Thank God we still have the Daily Show.

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