To one who enjoys staying on top of "the news" of any kind, the fact that I can barely stand to see or hear almost anything my former "TV Friends" report is indicative of the weariness many of us feel now that we are witnessing how The Emperor Really Isn't Wearing Any Clothes. The 60 Minutes debacle of late is yet another proverbial nail in the coffin of Mainstream Media's lack of credibility. I find the entire shift in how we are viewing our sources – in print as well as over radio and TV – to be yet another American Disillusionment as we discover that one of the few Objective News Outlets has become al Jazeera, of all places/people!
At one time not very long ago, no matter what I was doing, the television was always on, always News during the day. I was riveted to the information, the debates between pundits and hosts, the insight into behind-the-scenes (it seemed) machinations of specific politicians and the gradual, yet palpable, emergence of what is now known as The Tea Party.
To me, the Wall Of News within which I lived was a fascinating daily education into our current political system and overall climate that I had ignored beyond the basics when I was buried in a very exciting yet time-consuming career.
When I had lengthy "down time" due to a visual impairment, I grew closer to my Then Favourite News Outlet, MSNBC, accepting the shouting and spittle of Chris Matthews; the delightful Righteous Indignation of Keith Olbermann during the Bush Years; the sometimes confusing, yet always interesting, rotation of the network's Wimmen Folk who were usually slotted for the first half of the day with MSNBC's exec's trying to find the Perfect Fit – which seems to have worked only with Andrea Mitchell's continued presence in the same time slot, and, of course, the extremely wise decision to give Rachael Maddow her own show. Beyond those two women, it has been a true Musical Chairs Parlor Game over there.
Now I rarely have the TV flickering away in the background during the day, and when I do check The News, I move around more often than I had been doing to compare the coverage of Major Events from diverse points of view. What I have discovered is that not only do I tune-out half of what is said, but, as mentioned earlier, I Don't Care Anymore regardless of whether or not I agree with the host's opinions.
Moving outward from MSNBC, I find myself almost falling asleep when I tune in to CNN, and, of course, with Fox News I have to wear soft gloves to avoid breaking the TV screen by punching it whenever another Outright Lie is reported as Truth.
But it's not just the the personalities on each channel – cable or the Traditional Evening News coverage by the Networks – that have worn me down and literally turned-off the former interest I had in following political news in particular as Educational Sport; it's the increasing madness of what has become nothing more than canned responses, wooden accusations and expressions of Moral Outrage which have no resolution to them beyond leaving the viewers with feelings of Helplessness or Rage over whatever is the Newest Washington Crisis or the Latest GOP/Tea Bagger's Attack Against Minorities.
As many of us have been learning, our Once-Trusted Sources of information have become compromised over the years more than ever before by a combination of Corporate Pressure and new owners of outlets with a Very Specific Political Agenda that is carefully monitored, causing Once-Honest Journalists to become mere parrots of their owner's priorities. Too much Real Info is withheld – and it comes from Corporate Interests more often than from whoever is in The White House.
It's true that from the inception of both print and broadcasting platforms, information had always been withheld if it was deemed to compromise National Security or, as with scandals, too close for comfort to the Top Exec's at the papers and networks if the findings of an investigation would embarrass, if not ruin, a close friend/business ally. But, I don't think everyone has been as naïve about The Press as has been reported. Even those with Inside Knowledge of how The Media Works are beginning to look over their shoulders with more than a casual, quick glance, but with a chilling feeling of Info Suppression and a creepy sense of Big Brother nestled in the next cubicle or Corner Office.
And, as with Cable and Mainstream Media, I too have no resolution to my opinion today on why I find myself no longer a "News Junkie" and feel better when I turn off the Talking Heads other than to NOT turn on the TV or read too much balderdash from online news outlets.
If I want to gain at least a small sense of what may be True Reporting of a Major Story/Issue, I'm more likely to seek the info from smaller publications and websites where it is clear that someone actually did their research to form a cogent point – to provide "food for thought", and to report what the MSM ignores…such as the actual damage occurring in the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima's continual radiation leakage and precisely what factual value such info provides to anyone who is and/or could be affected by the toxic waste through food as well as general exposure.
Of course no one wants to focus on what is considered a "Negative" story, and so our sources would rather distract us with pictures of an actor or actress "Looking Hot" or going through a scandal. I'm not suggesting that we stop searching or asking for details on important developments that will or do effect our individual lives. I am suggesting we remain informed by different sources than our Comfort Zones have provided.
Depending on your appetite for information and your political affiliation, it could be more than helpful to shake things up and begin to locate Other Sources For News. We may see a headline every few days about the latest radiation leaks from Japan, for example again, but how accurate is the information when, in less than a day from publication, a new twist on the same story comes out from a Smaller Source filled with the Fine Print your once-trusted anchor/host/paper/website chose to downplay or completely omit.
Ignorance is no longer bliss when you discover that the food you are eating contains more radiation than previously reported. How nice it would be if our so-called "journalists" actually did some real Journaling.
Oh, how those who remember Edward R. Murrow wish he and his signature cigarette(s) would spring back to life!
That's all she wrote for the day. As always, thanks for stopping by!
Image via: http://southernnationalist.com
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