kCurrently there are two outstanding analyses of modern day journalism running on the Blogosphere. Readers won't find this quality of research and writing anywhere in the main stream media. After all, it's the MSM that this is all about. Moving back in time, which is what I do best:
Today, BJ posted an article on DemWit entitled Running On Bullshit by John Cory of Reader Supported News.
Let's be blunt here, the media is not interested in journalism or news or context or factual reportage; it is interested in what sells - and that my friends, is bullshit.
From Sunday's The Swash Zone Octopus gives us A Contest of Madmen for the Primacy of the Sewer. Octo begins this in-depth piece with a look at the birth and maturity of yellow journalism which, in case you haven't noticed, is alive and well at Fox News. He provides some startling facts and figures on trends in cable "news coverage", as in how far we've fallen in ten years, on viewership and on so-called informed audiences.
. . . . We have long known how media can be manipulated – by paying journalists to promote a corporate or industry viewpoint, by hiring PR firms to feed stories to the press, by faking news with maliciously edited videotape, by using smear tactics to destroy reputations, by repeating hot-button weasel words to propagate suspicion and fear, by leveraging the powers of government to shape public opinion and sell a war. We understand intuitively how often our news networks have failed in their mission and betrayed our trust.
My oldest graduated with honors with an English degree. If a smear monger wants to hire her to write well written smears I'd tell her to go for it. Smear mongering is one of the few growing job fields.
ReplyDeleteMy kind and gentle nature, as well as my liberal leanings have always been tempered with reality.
I'll remind you of this the next time you "pick on" the media. ; )
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. Long overdue. Kudos for finding this stuff, but that's what you do so well.
ReplyDeletePaula, I didn't do a thing but provide the links. Both are on my blog roll - I just thought it would be good to draw attention to them. But thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm too brain dead at the moment to contribute anything to the conversation - especially after the informed and insightful comments over at DemWit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a good read and great links