From Anna Nicole to Imus: Can the major media outlets keep their eyes on the prize?
By: Andrew Kleske | ∞
As the leaders of the traditional media struggle to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive news market, one has to wonder if there is room at the top for operations that refuse to let their standards decline.
It's easy for tabloids, bloggers and other unaffiliated news operations to roll out unsubstantiated claims, lurid graphics and salacious video to grab eyeballs away from the big guys.
One has to wonder if, under such pressure, the major news operations we have come to trust are willing to fight back in kind, thus lowering the bar that made them praise-worthy.
Watching the way some of the nation's most recognizable news outlets drenched their coverage with stories of Anna Nicole Smith, Don Imus and Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho, one wonders if they have been forced to swallow their pride in order keep the hungry masses tuning in.
Granted a news operation cannot survive long without giving the people what they want. But how long can it survive by focusing more on what the public wants to know than what it needs to know?
There is no doubt the media landscape is changing rapidly as the Internet allows more voices to be heard. The question remains whether it will be a race to the bottom.
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John wrote on Apr 25, 2007 2:05 AM:Hea! theres always XM or Sirus radio, cant offend anyone there.
disgusted wrote on Apr 26, 2007 7:59 AM:Yes, it seems to be a race to the bottom! Not only are the wrong stories covered but many newsworthy stories are not covered at all based on the political leanings of the owners and management. Thank goodness for the internet so we can look elsewere for alternate points of view and many times, the truth. What happened to unbiased reporting?
ok wrote on Apr 27, 2007 8:39 AM:so what are you going to do about it?
Warner: wrote on Apr 27, 2007 12:56 PM: It seems that the way to a sane day is to not turn the TV on. It seems, also, that journalist make their living off misfortune. We get a sprinkling of the good things that happen, but, the Hollywood crowd keep pouring on the bad for publicity purposes. We must keep in mind that most of that crowd are getting older and need something to keep them in the public's eye. We must remember, they are pretending story tellers that do not know the difference in fiction and the truth. They are growing old and fat and the good job offers are few and far between. Couple that with their not being to bright and you have a loser.
g5eis wrote on Apr 29, 2007 10:37 PM:You actually answered your question, referring to eyeballs. If we keep demanding that this crap be reported by patronizing the media outlets that cover it, then they will supply the content. When we change our demand they will change their supply. Sadly, it's on us and it is really simple; we have become increasingly shallow and demand things that are increasingly irrelevant.
JOHN wrote on Apr 30, 2007 5:16 AM:Imus?the mans a dried up old prune.Imus isnt the problem.Its sad in this date in our time that Black folks cannot seem to shake the stigma of the N word.Maby they should look within ther own ranks and stop tollerating Blacks berating blacks. It truly starts and ends in our own back yards.
JOHN wrote on May 2, 2007 2:02 AM:In Journalism, bad is always good.Hype up the bad and the garbage of the day.Look over the good and give it some back page space.No wonder all the major papers in this country are losing subscribers faster than they can recruit them.
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