Here’s a news flash: REALITY TELEVISION IS NOT NEWS!
This morning Fox News’ “Fox and Friends 1st” had a 15-minute segment on American Idol. It was the top story of the morning. This trend gives me an ache in the pit of my stomach. Local and national news programs are taking products of their parent companies and making them a full news story in order to promote the product. I don’t consider the morning news shows really hard-hitting, but I am beginning to see this happening in other forms of the news.
We had a minor league baseball stadium just open in nearby Lancaster, PA. The local news station devoted a news segment every day, every broadcast on the status of the ball field. The week of the opening, they did the weather, sports and human interest stories in and around the stadium. Yesterday, I found out that the owner of the station is a part owner of the baseball team and the stadium where they play.
I understand that there is bias in all forms of news, but can we not have some facade of respectability? Can we be a little more subtle so I don’t have to chug Pepto while watching the news? I want to say that I won’t watch television news any longer, but how long before this corruption moves onto the news web sites?
Good post.
Here’s where media bias takes another turn… the turn towards corporate fanaticism, where American Freakin’ Idol is news.
It’s not the motive as much as the sheer dishonesty of the news that has begun distress me. If the news isn’t hocking its wares, it is attempting to scare the public to increase its ratings. I just hope the viewing public becomes savvy enough to realize when it is being duped.
I’m not holding my breath.