4 ms·

I'm inclined to agree and the sad part is, journalism is an essential NGO organ of civil society. The 4th Estate is a very important thing for us all. Watchin

I'm inclined to agree and the sad part is, journalism is an essential NGO organ of civil society. The 4th Estate is a very important thing for us all. Watching Cable News these days is crazy because you can watch journalists, spin, lie and misrepresent ... but at the very same time they are presenting facts that do matter. Go take a look at 'waybackmacine' and click some links from even 10 years go - the news was not nearly as crazy and clickbaity. I truly hope that things can settle down a bit maybe in the next political cycle. Finally - I should say that almost all MSM left and right completely misrepresent middle America. The reality in Cleveland, rural Ohio, Utah, Houston, Alabama ... it's just not anywhere to be found on the news unless something terrible that happens where the press wants to use that piece of information to construct a narrative. Edit: I should add that there is a very real financial pressure right now for journos - newspapapers are falling apart everywhere, this is a real thing. Individual journos are not natural capitalists. We used to pay for the news we don't now, and we still haven't figured out a model. This is a major factor.

333c 8y ago
I'd be interested to hear how you describe the current situation in Cleveland. I just finished my first semester at a school nearby but spent no time in Cleveland aside from the airport, so even though I've been nearby, I really haven't been exposed.
- sonnyblarney 8y ago
  Cleveland is just an example. I currently live in Canada and get the local news from Vermont. It's sublime and cathartic: local girls basketball team highlights. Interviews with part-time stat reps who also run the local store. No clickbait language between state reps, governor etc.. No culture war. The national news is a circus, with each clown playing a part. It's ideological, clickbait, narrative-driven and parsed to remove anything that could upset corporate sponsors. 'Normal' is simply too boring for television.
  - tptacek 8y ago
    "Ideological" and "parsed to remove anything that could upset sponsors" are incompatible goals.

333c 8y ago

I'd be interested to hear how you describe the current situation in Cleveland. I just finished my first semester at a school nearby but spent no time in Cleveland aside from the airport, so even though I've been nearby, I really haven't been exposed.

sonnyblarney 8y ago
Cleveland is just an example. I currently live in Canada and get the local news from Vermont. It's sublime and cathartic: local girls basketball team highlights. Interviews with part-time stat reps who also run the local store. No clickbait language between state reps, governor etc.. No culture war. The national news is a circus, with each clown playing a part. It's ideological, clickbait, narrative-driven and parsed to remove anything that could upset corporate sponsors. 'Normal' is simply too boring for television.
- tptacek 8y ago
  "Ideological" and "parsed to remove anything that could upset sponsors" are incompatible goals.