I was surprised to see an editorial essay in today's U.S.A. Today condemning news outlets for allowing the 4 F's (food, fashion, fitness and finance) to push real news to the sidelines. Wow! I had thought of USA Today as the harbinger of News Lite. If their writers are upset, it's getting bad.
How bad is it? It's bread and circuses to entertain Joe and Jane Public while lobbyists buy their government, and the Executive Branch works to remake the Constitution. Who wants to read about the war in Iraq (or Afghanistan -- remember Afghanistan??), when they can follow the tragic saga of Paris Hilton?!
Being plugged into TVs with the likes of Fox News "Fair and Balanced" reporting, has completely replaced thinking for oneself. Our education system has been training dutiful corporate drones and consumers for at least a generation or two, and we seem to be ripe for exploitation, and now, outsourcing.
Excuse me while I take one of those pills that will make my life happier and let me romp through a meadow with a puppy.
Help is on the way! A strong new alternative to mainstream news is being built and will be launched in September. It is called The Real News http://www.therealnews.com/web/index.php
ReplyDeleteIt is a large organization that will have a presence around the world and will report on the news you are missing. Their mandate is to cover social, political and environmental aspects of the news.
After you have explored their website, I encourage you to join the discussions just starting over at http://therealnewsjunkies.ning.com/
I went to their launch party here in Toronto, and was impressed.
Cheers,
Connie
Hooray! and I don't even need a prescription!
ReplyDeleteHey, Betsy: Can you send me one of those happy pills? Seriously, can someone tell me what Paris Hilton has actually done? I simply don't get what makes her deserving of so much attention at the same time Bush's handing "Scooter" Libby a "Get Out of Jail Free" card seems to make barely a dent in the public consciousness. I thought the latter would provoke a storm of outrage, but it certainly did not (except in my house). Bush et al. must count on the public having a short attention span. Or maybe after six and a half years of the Bush/Cheney Administration, we're all just shell shocked.
ReplyDeleteDear Marie,
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the Bush Whitehouse (and lots of other pols, for that matter), counting on the public having a short attention span and a short memory! I wish I really did have a happy pill now. Blah!