- CNBC (with audio always on)
- CNN
- FOX NEWS
- MSNBC
- BLOOMBERG TV
These are all the outlets known as "24 hour news channels." They provide all news all day and all night. However, I am going to let you in on an industry secret.
On an average day, about 10 minutes of news happens.
Of course, you can't just have 10 minutes of news everyday, because if you did what would these pseudo journalists do all day? So these cable stations devised a brilliant strategy: take the 10 minutes of news, and add 23 hours and 50 minutes of tedious and hollow "analysis."
The beauty of this "analysis" is that since no actual conclusions need to be reached, and nobody is willing to point out lies for fear of appearing biased, mindless automatons get facetime on national television to say whatever they want, and to have it repeated every 15 minutes. Of course, they won't be challenged to defend their points to the anchor or audience, because the anchor has no knowledge of the subject at hand. He is a television guy, not an investigative reporter. He doesn't to research on the topic, or ask pointed questions to challenge opinions stated as facts. No, to do this would appear to be taking a stand on the issue and being an "operative," when all it would really be doing is serving the interests of the viewer. Since no factchecking or rigorous work is done, the broadcast consists of having the polar opposites on an issue argue about all the points like children, reach no conclusion, fail to educate the audience on the issue, and be sent off by the anchor saying, "an interesting debate."
It is patently absurd to expand the little news or issues of a day into the entire day. It leaves networks with the only option of offering bloated and lazy commentary disguised as analysis to fill the time. In the end, nobody is well served and the merits of television news are lost.
Go back to 1 hour news broadcasts with thoughtful analysis that provokes the reader to think and engage in the issue instead of being turned off by puerile bickering and apathetic talking heads. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer does it right.
The beauty of this "analysis" is that since no actual conclusions need to be reached, and nobody is willing to point out lies for fear of appearing biased, mindless automatons get facetime on national television to say whatever they want, and to have it repeated every 15 minutes. Of course, they won't be challenged to defend their points to the anchor or audience, because the anchor has no knowledge of the subject at hand. He is a television guy, not an investigative reporter. He doesn't to research on the topic, or ask pointed questions to challenge opinions stated as facts. No, to do this would appear to be taking a stand on the issue and being an "operative," when all it would really be doing is serving the interests of the viewer. Since no factchecking or rigorous work is done, the broadcast consists of having the polar opposites on an issue argue about all the points like children, reach no conclusion, fail to educate the audience on the issue, and be sent off by the anchor saying, "an interesting debate."
It is patently absurd to expand the little news or issues of a day into the entire day. It leaves networks with the only option of offering bloated and lazy commentary disguised as analysis to fill the time. In the end, nobody is well served and the merits of television news are lost.
Go back to 1 hour news broadcasts with thoughtful analysis that provokes the reader to think and engage in the issue instead of being turned off by puerile bickering and apathetic talking heads. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer does it right.
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