When we sit down to eat, (usually around 7-8-yeah, I know we eat kind of late), we turn on the news on CNN to see what is going on in the world. But lately I am so sick of the news because all they talk about is Michael, Martha, or Scott. WHO CARES!!!! I want to see the NEWS! Then we switch to CNN Headline News and they have changed their format in the evening, so what do we get? More Michael. More Martha. And more Scott! I am just so tired of hearing about these 3 people and it seems like that is the only news that is happening in the world. It just seems that CNN is doing OVERKILL on these people.


Ok, that is my rant for week. Anyone care to comment?




Cat

When we sit down to eat, (usually around 7-8-yeah, I know we eat kind of late), we turn on the news on CNN to see what is going on in the world. But lately I am so sick of the news because all they talk about is Michael, Martha, or Scott. WHO CARES!!!! I want to see the NEWS! Then we switch to CNN Headline News and they have changed their format in the evening, so what do we get? More Michael. More Martha. And more Scott! I am just so tired of hearing about these 3 people and it seems like that is the only news that is happening in the world. It just seems that CNN is doing OVERKILL on these people.


Ok, that is my rant for week. Anyone care to comment?




Cat


I hear ya, Cat. I'm so sick of hearing about them. It's definitively overkill. I try not to watch the "News" anymore, but it isn't "News" quite frankly.

My rant:

Fake teachers aka actors/actresses posing for Arnold Swarngegger's (sp? who cares) commercial here in California about how they can't stand the lies teachers tell about the obvious cutting and screwing of the educational system by their beloved governor. Hello, I'm in the thick of it all and we're not lying. It's the truth!

Tanya

Well, I can understand that people don't like celebrities and they get too much attention, but these are very important issues of child molestation, business ethics, and murder.  After all, there isn't much the average person can do about the war in Iraq or Social Security, but we can try to make sure our children and families are safe from harm.  I don't think you would be able to get people to pay as much attention to these important issues if you focused on stories that had less glamorous versions of these crimes.


Of course, they are important issues. However, it's overkill b/c of the "who" in the crimes. There are so many of these crimes being committed throughout the country, why not include them in the news.

Tanya

Well, like I said, I think the average person just wouldn't pay any attention if Rick Barton was accused of child molestation.


Now that truly is unfortunate! What's with Americans always needing a celebrity's stamp on something?

Tanya

Well, I can understand that people don't like celebrities and they get too much attention, but these are very important issues of child molestation, business ethics, and murder.  After all, there isn't much the average person can do about the war in Iraq or Social Security, but we can try to make sure our children and families are safe from harm.  I don't think you would be able to get people to pay as much attention to these important issues if you focused on stories that had less glamorous versions of these crimes.



I understand that these ARE important issues. But, why can't they give the story about 5 minutes of airtime and then move on to other things? Why much we have to listen about it 24/7? Big wooped that Michael came into the courthouse in his pajama bottoms. They had to show him walking from the limo to the door I don't know how many times. Like this is such big news that they had to rehash it every 15 minutes or so. To me, that is OVERKILL! I mean, is this such a breaking story? Are people REALLY interested in this that they want to see him take that walk that many times?




Cat

But I think that the pajama issue goes to credibility, your honor!   ;)

But seriously, this is part of the whole issue of whether he's guilty or not: extreme plastic surgury, balcony babies, bad skin, ambiguous sexuality, funny voice, space cadet, bad judgement, wacky pjs.  It's part of the whole impression that tends to lead people not give him the benefit of a doubt.


I agree with you there! Something's clearly wrong!

Tanya

That's why I watch my local news and then that ABC news. My mom enjoys ABC, and they don't dwell on things forever. They've got 6:30 to 7:00 {am for local, pm for national}, but CNN has ALLLLLLLLLLL day. There ain't that much news, really. So they have.... that's right! Those 3-4 things.

In all honesty, though, I am getting tired of hearing about the same crap EVERY DAY ALL THE D___ TIME.

I have to agree with Cat on this one (not unusual  ;) although not required.  We just keep most of our disagreements in private).  What she points to is the systematic turning of "news" into sensationalist entertainment..  People complain about the "dumbing down" of education, but don't seem to see the dumbing down of the news.  Its becoming all circuses aimed at distracting people from the real issues.  I'm not saying that child molestation, business ethics, and murder are not important, but that the focus on the sensational distracts us from those problems.  Awareness of the prevalance of child abuse might lead to ideas on how to limit it.  Investigations of business ethics might get Berrnie Elbers a cell mate (I'm thinking Ken Lay - right, in my dreams.  He's Bush's good buddie).  Murders, most of which are crimes of passion, will, I fear, always be with us.

The problem is one of depth of analysis and of investigation.  Good reporters would use these high profile stories as segues into more in-depth reporting and analysis - "where have all the cow..." I mean good reporters gone?

I agree with you, DonCarlos. I think a lot of the cirucs it to distract from real issues and keep the population mroe complacent. Because lack of complacency can lead to, gasp, a lack of consumerism. And the corporations that run "the news" wouldn't want that, now would they?

I'll take the BBC, please.

It's not so much the fault of the media.  They give us what gets them ratings.  When people start letting them know we would rather hear about Osama instead of Michael, they will give us Osama.  Sadly for us the status quo seems quite content to listen to drivel

They just want money.  News is a business, not a charity.  I'm tired of hearing about it too.  Why does everything have to be so informational?  And why the hell should I care more about Scott Peterson than about the murder or rape in a Compton ghetto?

I know what you mean Cat.  I think it went way overboard when MJ was late for court and MSNBC (I think it was MSNBC) had a countdown clock to the judges time limit.  Constant coverage of "Where is Michael?"  Ridiculous.  I would love to hear the real news, too.  Martha is out...good for her, Scott was sentenced to death...sucks to be him, MJ at trial...big whoop, now can we please move on to the real news.  No real news?  How about a story with a positive attitude?  We like to hear good news, too.

We like to hear good news, too.



I know, but... good news doesn't sell.  Well, sometimes Oprah makes it work...

I've saved myself a lot of frustration since I finally got it that the news business is the news BUSINESS.  It's remarkable (embarassing, really) just how long it took me to really 'get' that:  "Ohhhhh, I get it now -- it's not a public service -- they're making a buck.  In fact, they're trying to make as many bucks as possible.  By any means necessary."  Duh.

So I don't even bother with TV newscasts or newsmagazines, except when I'm looking for 'infotainment', and then I'm very conscious of the fact that I'm just being infotained, and I don't expect anything else.

They just want money.  News is a business, not a charity.  I'm tired of hearing about it too.  Why does everything have to be so informational? 


Of course they just want the $$$  and of course news is not a charity.  The point is that "the news" is no longer informational, ie designed to keep us up to date on what is happening around the world, but to entertain (titilate) us.  Canadian news was (when I had access to it -1980-1986) much better, and BBC reprts I hear on the radio put All our news outlets to shame.

Of course they just want the $$$  and of course news is not a charity.  The point is that "the news" is no longer informational, ie designed to keep us up to date on what is happening around the world, but to entertain (titilate) us.  Canadian news was (when I had access to it -1980-1986) much better, and BBC reprts I hear on the radio put All our news outlets to shame.


That's because us Americans, while a great country, are in many aspects behind the rest of the First World (Europe, Japan, other English outlets, etc., etc.)

When we sit down to eat, (usually around 7-8-yeah, I know we eat kind of late), we turn on the news on CNN to see what is going on in the world. But lately I am so sick of the news because all they talk about is Michael, Martha, or Scott. WHO CARES!!!! I want to see the NEWS! Then we switch to CNN Headline News and they have changed their format in the evening, so what do we get? More Michael. More Martha. And more Scott! I am just so tired of hearing about these 3 people and it seems like that is the only news that is happening in the world. It just seems that CNN is doing OVERKILL on these people.
It's a smokescreen.

It's a smokescreen.



I believe that. They don't WANT us to know what the REAL news is. For the past few nights, we haven't turned on the t.v. and just talked. It was so much better than listening to the b.s. they try to feed us.





Cat