Ugh American News programs are HORRIBLE now

[StageLeft]

But if NPR was simply news without its particular way it structures it, it wouldn't separate itself from anything. I do find NPR interesting, but only listen on the way to work sometimes.

My news these days consists of drudgereport (please don't hurt me) and CNN (see? I hurt myself enough) and a local site, but very little CNN actually, I've mainly cut it out because I hate their content. I go to reuters some times but it's just so boring, so in that case I'll hit up time.com. Fox is, as mentioned, worthless.

 

[ericlp]

My take on it? It was already bad. But when 60 minutes aired the piece about bush being lazy in the national guard. I can't really remember all the details but they got the pieces or the source wrong... People got fired for it. For some reason, now they just report stuff that is spoon fed. They report easy crap that the average American Right Flunky can digest. Since if they slip up about any whistle blowing or go down hard on someone they could lose a job. Would look real bad if your news anchor got slapped out of a job.

Then when they put that news person in jail because she wouldn't give up her source... That also took a big hit ... So much for freedom of speech / press. I don't even watch world news. Local news is just as bad but a bit more entertaining. Apparently tho, some people are watching since ratings are up....

 

[ProfJohn]

Ericlp? they were fired because they used a fake document to back up their charge that Bush was a slacker.
No different than all the reporters being fired for making up quotes etc.

I will 100% agree that it is hard to find good news sources now days. Too much fluff.

 

[Moonbeam]

Your function in life is to absorb the latest trends and fashions, know the best doodads and gadgets and go out and buy them. You have no need for other information.

 

[slash196]

The News Hour with Jim Lehrer still brings the heat. If you want good TV, you gotta look in the right place. PBS for the win.

 

[Darthvoy]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Don't blame the maker, blame the buyer. It's the plebian freaking vulgus who are consuming this tripe. The news is a reflection of the idiocy and interests of the masses.

Go to CNN, arguably the most popular news network in the country (at least in the top few), and click on the "all most popular" link on the front page for the most popular news stories. What comes up is:

1) Britney Spears makes bizarre apology <- who tf cares
2) Gunman opens fire on gamblers in Las Vegas casino <- gun crimes every day in this country, again why the importance?
3) Preteens allegedly kidnap baby, demand ransom <- who cares, only the baby's parents
4) L.A. anchor on leave over relationship with mayor <- not news worthy at all
5) Triple-digit heat searing West <- WEATHER; boring
6) Man accused of biting off 3-year-old's lip, ear <- oh the outrage, now I can get all self-righteous and ask how a person could do such a thing
7) Experts: Pills becoming the new marijuana on campus <- Uh, who cares
8) Girl's kidnappers 'demand money' <- Same story as 3? Don't know/care
9) Rare three-legged tiger spotted <- so it was born missing a leg, whoooooooo cares
10) Overnight deluge adds to Texas flooding woes <- WEATHER; boring

I think some of those things on your list are newsworthy, but they should only occupy less than 5-10 minutes, and not overtake the whole news time.

 

[Darthvoy]

Originally posted by: slash196
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer still brings the heat. If you want good TV, you gotta look in the right place. PBS for the win.

yeah...I have been watching PBS news more than any other news combined recently. Quality reporting.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
But if NPR was simply news without its particular way it structures it, it wouldn't separate itself from anything. I do find NPR interesting, but only listen on the way to work sometimes.

My news these days consists of drudgereport (please don't hurt me) and CNN (see? I hurt myself enough) and a local site, but very little CNN actually, I've mainly cut it out because I hate their content. I go to reuters some times but it's just so boring, so in that case I'll hit up time.com. Fox is, as mentioned, worthless.

Why no-love for C-SPAN?

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: slash196
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer still brings the heat. If you want good TV, you gotta look in the right place. PBS for the win.

It's a bunch of right winged corporate crap, in my opinion. If Lehrer were a real journalist do you think they would let him within a thousand miles of a Presidential debate, much less ask the questions? Get real!

 

[slash196]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam

Originally posted by: slash196
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer still brings the heat. If you want good TV, you gotta look in the right place. PBS for the win.

It's a bunch of right winged corporate crap, in my opinion. If Lehrer were a real journalist do you think they would let him within a thousand miles of a Presidential debate, much less ask the questions? Get real!

That's a pretty nutty opinion to have. I'm sensing some sarcasm, not really sure if you're serious.

 

[DangerAardvark]

This problem is linked directly to why people are so uninformed in this country. Education is only part of it. Getting pertinent, unbiased news is incredibly difficult. Just look at how much shit you have to wade through to get the real scoop on global warming. You practically have to be a climatologist to keep up with it.

 

[Dissipate]

Turn off the teevee!

 

[Atheus]

I sometimes watch ABC 'world news tonight' which goes out on BBC news 24 to fill a gap late at night. I find it quite honest and wide-ranging actually, even though they do the occasional fluff piece, and it's good to get a foriegn perspective on what's going on in Europe.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
What happened to American news programs?? They?re horrible now! Especially when it comes to reporting on what?s happening around the world, and you know..actually reporting the news.

This is old news! You mean, you've just now noticed this?

That having been said, it's an interesting question, nonetheless. Perhaps it's a matter of marketing. It's possible that well-educated critical thinkers watch cable news channels, the BBC, or read flagship newspapers instead of watching network news, which means that the target audience would be people with lower IQs and less reasoning ability who buy tabloids at the supermarket.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: senseamp
I think if NPR stuck to news and issues discussion, it would be more popular. But they put too much cultural fluff in, and there is only so much "Fresh air" or "wait wait, don't tell me" that I can listen to.

I wish they'd cut back a bit on the stories about musicians and other artsy fartsy types; I'd much prefer to hear news talk. All Things Considered is an example of one of the programs that has too many musical and artsy pieces.

 

[jman19]

I don't watch any major news program anymore. Anyone who watches the biased garbage on TV for their news should expect a slant on any politically charged issue.

 

[Modelworks]

Read Al Gores latest book, makes alot of sense.
News has stopped being informative and has switched to being entertaining.

When Fox news put up a "special alert" for paris hilton leaving jail, my hopes of news improving were crushed.

 

[slash196]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: senseamp
I think if NPR stuck to news and issues discussion, it would be more popular. But they put too much cultural fluff in, and there is only so much "Fresh air" or "wait wait, don't tell me" that I can listen to.

I wish they'd cut back a bit on the stories about musicians and other artsy fartsy types; I'd much prefer to hear news talk. All Things Considered is an example of one of the programs that has too many musical and artsy pieces.

What part of All Things Considered is throwing you?

 

[iamaelephant]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Read Al Gores latest book, makes alot of sense.
News has stopped being informative and has switched to being entertaining.

When Fox news put up a "special alert" for paris hilton leaving jail, my hopes of news improving were crushed.

Yup, this is discussed at length in Assault on Reason. Even if you hate Al Gore there are certainly chapters in that book that you can't help but agree with.

I think a big part of the problem is that all American news sources have obvious political biases, the viewers know that these biases exist and often watch their particular chosen news station because of the bias. When people willingly watch a station that will provide only one side of the story of one point of view you have a problem.

 

[IGBT]

..they collapsed into tabloid entertainment packaged as news years ago. cnn is the worst of the worst with their agenda driven tabloid sensationalism and alarmist action lines.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: iamaelephant

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Read Al Gores latest book, makes alot of sense.
News has stopped being informative and has switched to being entertaining.

When Fox news put up a "special alert" for paris hilton leaving jail, my hopes of news improving were crushed.

Yup, this is discussed at length in Assault on Reason. Even if you hate Al Gore there are certainly chapters in that book that you can't help but agree with.

I think a big part of the problem is that all American news sources have obvious political biases, the viewers know that these biases exist and often watch their particular chosen news station because of the bias. When people willingly watch a station that will provide only one side of the story of one point of view you have a problem.

Aye.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

 

[HeXploiT]

Yes American television news is worthless. I gave it up a number of years ago when i started noticing the replacement of intellectuals, specialists phd's & and generally knowledgeable people by other journalists as the source and focus of debate. Now probably half of all opinions come from the journalists themselves. And they bitch about bloggers? They are bloggers. The news has become a series of opinion pieces. It is now for the most part completely worthless and repetitive drivel. My tv news and learning of current events these days is primarily limited to the likes of c-span and a handful of programs like Charlie Rose.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: ericlp
My take on it? It was already bad. But when 60 minutes aired the piece about bush being lazy in the national guard. I can't really remember all the details but they got the pieces or the source wrong... People got fired for it. For some reason, now they just report stuff that is spoon fed. They report easy crap that the average American Right Flunky can digest. Since if they slip up about any whistle blowing or go down hard on someone they could lose a job. Would look real bad if your news anchor got slapped out of a job.

Then when they put that news person in jail because she wouldn't give up her source... That also took a big hit ... So much for freedom of speech / press. I don't even watch world news. Local news is just as bad but a bit more entertaining. Apparently tho, some people are watching since ratings are up....

Terrible, just terrible isnt it? Holding the media to some kind of standard of vetting information before publishing a hit piece?

That response is quite sad to be honest.

 

[piasabird]

Cable networks are not mainstream Networks.

The Term Network news does not apply to Cable when I hear it. Fox to their credit has both Conservative and liberal people working for them. I give them just as much credit as I would CNN. However, I prefer to go to www.cnn.com for my first look at the news. If I happen to switch to the news on ABC or NBC or CBS on the TV, I tend to listen to only the Local News. When I hear national or foreign news I turn on this filter on my head and it seems so blatantly Leftist leaning that is it just so transparent. They have an agenda and stick to it. If the news does not match the Agenda they either gloss over it, or they dont cover it. I want to hear all the news, not their liberal agenda diatribe!

Do we really need to hear some garbage about the racing of the Bulls? How is that news? They do it every year Blah, Blah, Blah! For news to be news there is a requirement for new content.

 

[imported_Lothar]

Originally posted by: DonVito
The Lehrer Newshour is really the last vestige of quality television news in America IMO.

:thumbsup: