Today I need address my issues with the News Media. I have touched on my love hate relationship before in my Open Letter to the Media, when they turned the grieving town of Newton CT into a media circus, but today I need to address the ridiculousness as a whole.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH US?? That's all I can think. The Media hounds are essentially products of demand. They give us what they think we want. For example, every time any major news worthy event happens, the story is beaten to death until there is nothing else left to report-no more doors to knock on, people to drag through the mud, lives to be violated and exploited.
When I worked in the media, yes I was there once, there was a widely used and accepted saying, "If it bleeds, it leads." The demand for sensationalism is so high, when the supply arrives the news pounces. I am am SICK of it. SICK SICK SICK! Today the 6 O'Clock news reported on (in this order)
- A mother and her children found dead in a creek
- A man hit by a train
- A teenager that pled guilty to killing her grandmother
- A trial underway for a woman accused of molesting two children, who both are taking the stand!!
- A new Pope is named.
As far as I am concerned, the ONLY news I needed to know about is the election on the new Pope. (Which is wonderful, brought tears to my eyes, prayers to my lips, and hope for my Roman Catholic Church to my heart)
I have had it with the countless interviews of the far removed neighbors or gawkers who really do not even know the person, but give the reporter just enough to squeeze out more speculation to feed the scandal. Or the digging up relatives who will say anything for a buck. OR the ultimate, making up shit to be the first to "Break the story!" The report above about the man hit by a train, was actually a reported as a child hit by a train at first! That was when I deleted the news app. If they cannot even wait to get their facts straight... So much is lies, speculation and grasping at weightless facts.
Anyways... I have had it with the news! I tweeted earlier that the news was more depressing than watching my grey hair grow. Well, the news is GIVING ME GREY HAIR!! I do not need to know about 85% of the shit they report on. NO ONE should have to carry around in their hearts the sickness the news reports on. I also do not think 85% of the stories are my business. I do not need to know about the the senseless deaths of the day, the arrested drug dealers, the slain prostitutes or the corrupt cops. I especially do not need to know about the horrible things that have happened to children by their parents or guardians. I am thankful the abuse has been caught and the parties are prosecuted, but I just do not see how it should be my business?
I have decided to self censor the news form now on. I have removed my local news Apps from my phone, keeping only BBC and CNN, because I do find the world News to be more like 85% about things I need to know about - Natural disasters, wars, threats, New Popes... more or less, no petty miserable news stories that break my heart. Or at least, if they do report on heart breaking stories, they are tied to major (news worthy) events.
I think the local news has made it their business to go too far to fill a half-hour with dreadful 'if it bleeds, it leads' stories. What happened to reporting with integrity, delivering great stories that affect the masses? I would love for a news station to stand up and say, we have integrity and plan to report in that manner, not ambulance chase to fill the 30-minute time slot.
I am fairly certain that I am not going to achieve any real #NOMOREDIRTYNEWS movement here, but I do wish we as the masses could lower our demand for sadness and tear jerking stories. For every crack whore there is a single mother busting her ass to make a difference. For ever corrupt politician there is a teacher changing lives. For every senseless crime there is a good deed. Why can't the news report on that? And so, I say until the news reports on that, I will be getting my local weather report from my weather app, my local traffic report fro my traffic app and my world news from my CNN and BBC apps. Starting today I am taking a stand, I refuse to watch the local news until they make a change. I want more positive time fillers, and less if it bleeds it leads sensationalism. #nomoredirtynews
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