Sunday, August 27, 2006

Integrity in Journalism...

Now there's a joke! Integrity in journalism. I think that went out with Ike! (And no....I am not old enough to remember Ike...so don't even go there!)

I was watching the news for a bit this morning and remembered why I'd stopped watching it! Lousy reporting. It's all about the ratings... not even getting the scoop... just reporting anything.

I've always been bothered by the dumb questions reporters ask during an interview. One incident that sticks out in my mind to this day actually occurred in the 80's. There was horrible flooding in this area...people had to flee to their roofs because a levy had broken. They were rescued by helicopter. There was one gal, probably about 20 or so, who couldn't swim and she was understandably terrified. She was plucked from the rooftop with cameras rolling. When she got her feet on dry land, a warm towel around her, she was shaking, in shock, and babbling, "I thought I was gonna die! I thought I was gonna die." Some insensitive local reporter stuck a microphone in her face, and said: "Can you tell us how you felt?" Well...geez...man! The woman thought she was gonna die! How would he feel...if he couldn't swim...the water was rising... houses around her were washing away... "Oh...I was thinking I'd go to the mall after I got rescued..." I think that was the day, I gave up on local news.

This morning I heard about a commuter plane going down. So I flipped on TV to see if they had more details, and caught a press conference with the Kentucky coroner. Have to give the man points for patience! Dumb question number one: How does this compare with other plane crashes you've seen? His answer: This is my first one. Dumb question number two: Do you think the plane went off the wrong runway? His answer: I have no idea. I am the coroner. Next dumb question: Is there a passenger list? At this point, you could see the guy start to roll his eyes and catch himself just in time. His answer: I'm sure there is. I haven't seen it. It's probably at the airport. I have to go now...

Now I realize both these scenes were during times of high stress and there was loss of life in both. But reporters are supposed to be trained professionals... not three-year olds who have discovered the magic of asking questions...

So...I've renamed the various news networks.

ABC = Asinine Broadcasting Corporation
CBS: Crummy Broadcasting Service
CNN = Crappy News Network (since this was the network this morning...)
NBC = No-Brain Broadcasting Company
MSNBC = More Silly No-Brain Broadcasting Company

Now... I am leaving FOX up to you! Whaddya say? Any ideas... and no! using the F-word does not count! Sorry, no prizes..but the best answer might reappear in a later blog entry. Ain't that incentive enough?!!

4 comments:

I haven't watched the news for many years now. Most of the news shows are like tabloids on TV. If something major is going on I'll watch and sort out the odd grain of real reporting from all the crap, but I usually avoid it as it just annoys the heck out of me.

What really gets me is how many people believe it all. "Oh, (insert name of news channel or program here) said this, so of course it's true!" I wish people would use the brains they were given and actually think about some of the so-called news that is being fed to them, instead of believing everything just because it's labelled "news".

And they jump the gun so fast sometimes they are not giving the correct facts. As soon as the media hears that there is a new story they are so worried about getting the scoop. Although I do admit I have to watch the news before I go to bed at night. Depressing as it is.
I do agree with the questions, I hate the how do you feel about that, I would love to climb through the sreen and smack them.

I have to admit I'm a news whore. First thing I do in the morning, before ever getting out of bed, is turn on MSNBC--just to make sure the world still exists in relatively the same shape as when I went to bed. I don't, however, watch the local news. Not sure why. And yes, I suffer through all the stupid questions which never ask what we, the public, really want to know. And as for the recent Jon Benet debacle--don't get me started. The media was totally to blame for the overblown hoopla there, not that poor woman in Colorado (forget her official position). But, hm. FOX, huh? Kinda hard. For Obnoxious Xenophobes??

LOLOLOL!!!!!!! For Obnoxious Xenophobes That is classic!!!!!!

Since 9/11, the first thing I do, too, is turn on the news to make sure the world is still "safe"... Local news here is just not worth watching. They are filled more with teasers and "get more on this story from our website", and then the website has even less info than the newscast!

Cable news does seem to have the edge as far as getting info... but I am with ya on the JonBenet case. It's appalling how the media can form, change, manipulate public opinion...