February 23, 2014
Some reports show that viewership of television news is declining. If NBC Nightly News is typical, that’s not surprising. Hard news makes up little of any broadcast, and commentary or context rarely appear, even when the story screams for it, as with climate change.
NBC has taken another step down. It is broadcasting the evening news from Sochi, for no apparent reason other than to promote the network’s exclusive coverage of the Olympic Games. Also, the program devoted sections of two broadcasts last week to the advent of Jimmy Fallon as host of the Tonight Show, also an NBC program: news as corporate advertisement.
A clip from a Conan O’Brien show is circulating on the web which demonstrates the vapid, insubstantial, derivative nature of local television news. It shows twenty-four news "anchors" delivering the same "report’ about shopping for oneself at Christmas: "It’s OK, you can admit it, if you bought an item or two, or ten, for yourself."[18]1 The origin of the script isn’t revealed, but it is identical, a few fluffs and variations aside, on each broadcast. It’s amusing to watch the newsreaders emote in an attempt to convert a handout into something original, but it’s another indication of how badly we are served by news media.
Are voters uninformed? Considering that the alternative to right-wing propaganda on Fox is self-promotion or inanity on other channels, it is not surprising.
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18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8L7bdwVaA________________
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