How important is the News

[jackfaire]

I talk to people from all over the world. When something is truly news worthy to the point that it makes massive headlines I hear about it. I do not always know about everything going on in the world.

How important would you say it is to follow a news, paper, program, magazine, etc? Should it be something you should do everyday? Should you know everything going on everywhere to the best of your ability?

[Mr Slugger]

I think you should follow a little. Just so you have some idea. I mean for me I watch the local news for a half hour in the morning because that's really all it needs, then I watch the national news for about a half hour before I head to work. Again all the info I really need. Then maybe at lunch time I'll putz around the web, usually msn and read a few articles. But I don't read every news paper cover to cover.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

I used to put a lot of faith in the news, then in college as a media student I became more educated in how everything works behind the scenes.

I know realize that all news has an inherent bias or spin depending upon the source. All news outlets are biased, there is no such thing as an unbiased news source. You can try to claim otherwise, but there's always an influence somewhere.

The other thing that bothers me about the news is the way it's become more of a commercial business and less of a public service.

You'd think the health care debate and the war plan for afghanistan and the continuing economic crisis would be the top stories, but suddenly Tiger Woods slams into a fire hydrant and admits to having affair and who the fuck cares what's going on anywhere else? The media jumps all over it to the point of extreme oversaturation. The same thing happened with the Michael Jackson death. Although that was undeniably a big story, it got beaten into the ground so very badly in such a short time.

It seems to me media outlets have become more concerned with the celebrity puff pieces and gossip of the day rather than actually reporting relevant current events.

[gremcint]

Tom Cruise losing his Blackberry was major news.




I have nothing more to add to the discussion beyond that.

[Greenday]

It seems to me media outlets have become more concerned with the celebrity puff pieces and gossip of the day rather than actually reporting relevant current events.

If they took out the BS and just had actual news, almost no one would watch it anymore.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

If they took out the BS and just had actual news, almost no one would watch it anymore.

I don't mind the "BS" and I don't mind variety in my news, but when ever major news site and broadcast network and media outlet is doing practically 24/7 coverage of Tiger Woods and spending almost no time on other, far more important matters, it's a problem.

[AdminAssistant]

To phrase what Greenday is saying in a different way, what do you think sells more copies? Newsweek or Entertainment Weekly? Ratings show that most Americans want fluff and escapism, not actual facts and certainly not any news from, oh, other countries.

Actually the celebrity stuff doesn't bother me as much as the coverage of small town news on national channels. Like, "child lost in woods" or "child stuck in game machine" or "heroic tale of child who runs away then comes back home again." Always cute, white children of course.

[BlaqueKatt]

The other thing that bothers me about the news is the way it's become more of a commercial business and less of a public service.

yup I've found I'm much happier since I stopped watching/reading much news-if it affects me I'll know about it before it hits the news.

Plus I really don't like the "if it bleeds it leads" attitude, if nothing local or national is depressing enough they'll look for any international story that includes suffering, sorry I feel enough guilt about the crap going on here, why tell me about a busload of orphans in some other country that contracted the plague and then plummeted off a cliff.