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10/27/2004 Archived Entry: "saturated"

Posted by clbloomer @ 12:08 PM EST [Link]

I HAVE REACHED MY LIMIT

I am saturated -- saturated with useless press reports from a media too lazy to actually report anything worthwhile. For the past several days, I have heard nothing except the candidates' campaign destinations, candidates' talking points, and polls. The absolute worst is television, no matter what network. TV is closely followed by newspapers.

The media does not bother to actually report substance. When a story does get through the noise, it is usually a hit piece that bears no resemblance to truth. No one in the media bothers to do any actual research, never digs beyond the press releases, never questions the alleged facts on which it is reporting.

Chalk it up to media bias, or laziness, or the desire to be first with a story -- any story. Whatever the reason, American media has abandoned journalism in favor of sound bites, reporters on the scene gushing nonsense, and showing snazzy photo ops.

The so-called mainstream media is contributing to its own death knell -- either through ignorance or the refusal to accept reality. The demise of big corporate media is being accelerated by the existence of new, alternative media on the internet. If you just want to skim the surface in a political year, read a paper or watch TV. After about aminute or so, you have scraped away the pond scum and realized the lack of depth. For depth, for serious discussion, for analysis, you must turn to the internet.

I get 99% of my news from internet sites. I get 100% of intelligent analysis from the internet. Obviously, I rely on the excellent presentations and articles on ESR. But I don't limit myself to just one site. On any given day, I look at probably a dozen sites. I get a broad look at the issues, with information and opinions, analysis and perspectives that allow me to be informed, which, in turn allows me to decide for myself who to support for political office.

I will ignore TV and newspapers until after the election. I'm tired of the garbage that gets pumped out by talking heads and breathless beanbags. If something actually important surfaces, I'll find it on the internet.

cb