Friday, September 09, 2005
All The News That's Fit To Sensationalize
I've always hated the TV news, especially local news, which is bottom-of-the-barrel journalism, and the 24-hour news networks, because they're the fungus growing on the bottom of the barrel. This has always been a problem for me, because as a television soundman, these folks often pay my rent. I keep telling people that I'm fighting the system from within, but we all know that's bull.
Anyway, when Katrina began forming last month, the usual flock of idiots flew down to the South to show America how dangerous a hurricane was... by standing right in the middle of it. As if we didn't know. You could practically hear the drooling of news producers and reporters across the nation. Those sad bastards at the Weather Channel were practically orgasmic.
However, as Katrina made landfall, the coverage quickly began to change. The media realized right away that this was no regular storm. The coast was ravaged. New Orleans, which initially seemed to be spared the brunt of the storm, was underwater. And the news was there.
I have to say, I was actually very impressed overall. They were on the ground from day one. When it seemed like the government wasn’t doing their job, the news was on top of it. They found those poor stranded people in the Convention Center, long before Michael Chertoff or Michael Brown had any clue as to what was going on. They did what they have been failing to do for so long. Not only were they our eyes and ears, but also our watchdogs. They asked the tough questions and demanded answers.
I do have a couple of issues though. First of all, when people were trapped in the Superdome and Convention Center and the National Guard was nowhere to be seen, don’t show us helicopter shots of them. If you have a helicopter, you should be airlifting people out. If you can’t do that, then you should be airlifting food and water in. If, for some reason, you can’t do either, then land the chopper and donate your fuel.
Second, what’s with the report about the body bags? “Rescue Workers Have 25,000 Body Bags Ready” That’s one hell of a headline. The problem is, it’s not news. Was there a headline saying “Rescue Workers Have 50,000 Blankets Ready” or “Rescue Workers Have 150,000 Band-Aids Ready”? Of course not. This is just sensationalism, pure and simple. You’re doing good, folks. Let’s not drop the ball.
Anyway, when Katrina began forming last month, the usual flock of idiots flew down to the South to show America how dangerous a hurricane was... by standing right in the middle of it. As if we didn't know. You could practically hear the drooling of news producers and reporters across the nation. Those sad bastards at the Weather Channel were practically orgasmic.
However, as Katrina made landfall, the coverage quickly began to change. The media realized right away that this was no regular storm. The coast was ravaged. New Orleans, which initially seemed to be spared the brunt of the storm, was underwater. And the news was there.
I have to say, I was actually very impressed overall. They were on the ground from day one. When it seemed like the government wasn’t doing their job, the news was on top of it. They found those poor stranded people in the Convention Center, long before Michael Chertoff or Michael Brown had any clue as to what was going on. They did what they have been failing to do for so long. Not only were they our eyes and ears, but also our watchdogs. They asked the tough questions and demanded answers.
I do have a couple of issues though. First of all, when people were trapped in the Superdome and Convention Center and the National Guard was nowhere to be seen, don’t show us helicopter shots of them. If you have a helicopter, you should be airlifting people out. If you can’t do that, then you should be airlifting food and water in. If, for some reason, you can’t do either, then land the chopper and donate your fuel.
Second, what’s with the report about the body bags? “Rescue Workers Have 25,000 Body Bags Ready” That’s one hell of a headline. The problem is, it’s not news. Was there a headline saying “Rescue Workers Have 50,000 Blankets Ready” or “Rescue Workers Have 150,000 Band-Aids Ready”? Of course not. This is just sensationalism, pure and simple. You’re doing good, folks. Let’s not drop the ball.
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When was the last time you heard about the schools we've built in Iraq or the infrastructure we're building there.
I had the privelage of eating dinner with a soldier on leave last weekend and almthough he hates the place with a passion he said there's a lot of good going on that the news just doesn't care about reporting.
Do we blame the news or the ghouls that will only tune in for the sensational gloom and doom headlines?
I had the privelage of eating dinner with a soldier on leave last weekend and almthough he hates the place with a passion he said there's a lot of good going on that the news just doesn't care about reporting.
Do we blame the news or the ghouls that will only tune in for the sensational gloom and doom headlines?
The problem is that most news out there is sensationalized, particularly on TV. Look at the graphics they choose for each ongoing story. There's always a little animation with an American flag and fire, culminating with a title in an opressive font that says somethiong like "The War On Terror," "Storm of the Century" "World on Fire," "Mess-O-Potamia."
It's sickening. Where's the objectivity? There is good journalism being done out there, even on TV. The problem is, it's on PBS, and it's boring. It's not in 20 second sound bites and people get bored.
Any news organization that actually reports on "Bennifer" or the Brad/Jen thing isn't worthy of calling itself news. Good Day Philadelphia, for instance, has a segment where they actually read you articles from the tabloids.
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It's sickening. Where's the objectivity? There is good journalism being done out there, even on TV. The problem is, it's on PBS, and it's boring. It's not in 20 second sound bites and people get bored.
Any news organization that actually reports on "Bennifer" or the Brad/Jen thing isn't worthy of calling itself news. Good Day Philadelphia, for instance, has a segment where they actually read you articles from the tabloids.
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