You know there was a time when the news, and journalists in general, used to inform and encourage. I'm talking about people like Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley. Those men kept you informed without interjecting their opinions. Walter was famous for ending his broadcasts with, " and that's the was it is. " What was comforting was, that is the way it was! You felt informed on the topic and left to your own thoughts as to the meaning behind it all. It has been said that Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America at one time. Tell me a single journalist today that can be trusted, even half the time? Scarcer then hen's teeth!
I do think the old school journalists were a more optimistic bunch. Yes, they reported on the bad stuff, the sensational and all of that, but without the slant of desperation that I hear today. They did offer hope for a better tomorrow. That was accomplished by reporting the facts. Their personal opinions were not interjected into that process. They did remain stoic for the most part, they were professionals reporting the facts as they saw them happen. If someone was shot, they said someone was shot. They didn't continue the story by telling why they thought the person was shot, or what gun was used to shoot the person or what they felt the motivation might be. No, they reported that someone had been shot, the perpetrator would be found and brought to justice! That was pretty much the story until more concrete facts were known. No speculation, no guessing, no using the news for political advantage. You were reassured that justice would be forthcoming, swiftly and as surely as the rising sun.
The news media today does more to incite bad feelings in the public than anything else. It is almost like they feel it is their job to do that. Like the bully on the playground they talk loud, interject themselves into every conversation and demand attention. They insist they have all the answers and pretty much tell you there is nothing you can do about it. We are all going to be blown up in a nuclear war! We are told that half our political representatives are nothing but liars and cheats. We are being told that ideas and opinions contrary to what is political acceptable make us racists and filled with phobias.
The news and journalists in general today tend to tell us what they feel we should think. That is the insidious part in all of this. The agenda is to remove independent thought from the process. We are being told the answers and expected to repeat those answers. If you don't repeat the answers as you are instructed you are ostracized as being some kind of troublemaker. The evening news used to be the one source the majority of Americans relied upon to keep them informed, well that and newspapers. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. I'm thinking that loss is playing a role in the dumbing down of America as well. Not taking the time or exerting the effort to read a newspaper we have become dependent upon electronic means. Those electronic means are dependent upon revenue on a larger scale than any newspaper ever was. That's because they are trying to appeal to a much larger audience than a newspaper. The " region " is much larger. And where do most of these electronic broadcasts eminent from? They come from major metropolitan areas. That is the influence they receive as well. The little hometown newspapers reported on what? The hometown news and general items of interest. The larger newspapers printed more than one edition depending upon their market. Now, with all the major news sources broadcasting basically the same thing, the same stories, with the same bias and opinion, the result is what we see. It is largely a negative experience for the average everyday American.
It is ironic that the news concerns itself so much with diversity today while they attempt to eliminate diversity in general. I say that because the major news agencies are all reporting the same thing without any alternative view. It is a constant barrage of negativity and biased reporting. Think about it, even a great number of the commercials they air today are aimed at showing you are a victim. You should be suing somebody! It is someone else's fault that you are too hot! The rich people that can afford the air conditioning are the ones making the temperature rise! It's a conspiracy. Is it any wonder the atmosphere, no pun intended, in America today is what it is. Consider this. It is a federal offense to possess and use Marijuana. That is just a fact, not an opinion, an interpretation of the law, or anything else other than a fact. Federal law always supersedes the law of the states. Just another fact. Yet the news repeatedly reports that eight, now nine states, have legalized the use and possession of marijuana. The truth is they have not, they have passed legislation basically saying they will not enforce federal law! Why doesn't the news report that? I don't care how you feel about the law or the issue. I do want the news to report the facts! The fact remains it is illegal to possess and use Marijuana in the United States of America. And that is what should be reported! That is informing the public. Reporting that something is " legal " when in fact it is not, is not telling the truth! And that is the way it is.
I do think the old school journalists were a more optimistic bunch. Yes, they reported on the bad stuff, the sensational and all of that, but without the slant of desperation that I hear today. They did offer hope for a better tomorrow. That was accomplished by reporting the facts. Their personal opinions were not interjected into that process. They did remain stoic for the most part, they were professionals reporting the facts as they saw them happen. If someone was shot, they said someone was shot. They didn't continue the story by telling why they thought the person was shot, or what gun was used to shoot the person or what they felt the motivation might be. No, they reported that someone had been shot, the perpetrator would be found and brought to justice! That was pretty much the story until more concrete facts were known. No speculation, no guessing, no using the news for political advantage. You were reassured that justice would be forthcoming, swiftly and as surely as the rising sun.
The news media today does more to incite bad feelings in the public than anything else. It is almost like they feel it is their job to do that. Like the bully on the playground they talk loud, interject themselves into every conversation and demand attention. They insist they have all the answers and pretty much tell you there is nothing you can do about it. We are all going to be blown up in a nuclear war! We are told that half our political representatives are nothing but liars and cheats. We are being told that ideas and opinions contrary to what is political acceptable make us racists and filled with phobias.
The news and journalists in general today tend to tell us what they feel we should think. That is the insidious part in all of this. The agenda is to remove independent thought from the process. We are being told the answers and expected to repeat those answers. If you don't repeat the answers as you are instructed you are ostracized as being some kind of troublemaker. The evening news used to be the one source the majority of Americans relied upon to keep them informed, well that and newspapers. Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. I'm thinking that loss is playing a role in the dumbing down of America as well. Not taking the time or exerting the effort to read a newspaper we have become dependent upon electronic means. Those electronic means are dependent upon revenue on a larger scale than any newspaper ever was. That's because they are trying to appeal to a much larger audience than a newspaper. The " region " is much larger. And where do most of these electronic broadcasts eminent from? They come from major metropolitan areas. That is the influence they receive as well. The little hometown newspapers reported on what? The hometown news and general items of interest. The larger newspapers printed more than one edition depending upon their market. Now, with all the major news sources broadcasting basically the same thing, the same stories, with the same bias and opinion, the result is what we see. It is largely a negative experience for the average everyday American.
It is ironic that the news concerns itself so much with diversity today while they attempt to eliminate diversity in general. I say that because the major news agencies are all reporting the same thing without any alternative view. It is a constant barrage of negativity and biased reporting. Think about it, even a great number of the commercials they air today are aimed at showing you are a victim. You should be suing somebody! It is someone else's fault that you are too hot! The rich people that can afford the air conditioning are the ones making the temperature rise! It's a conspiracy. Is it any wonder the atmosphere, no pun intended, in America today is what it is. Consider this. It is a federal offense to possess and use Marijuana. That is just a fact, not an opinion, an interpretation of the law, or anything else other than a fact. Federal law always supersedes the law of the states. Just another fact. Yet the news repeatedly reports that eight, now nine states, have legalized the use and possession of marijuana. The truth is they have not, they have passed legislation basically saying they will not enforce federal law! Why doesn't the news report that? I don't care how you feel about the law or the issue. I do want the news to report the facts! The fact remains it is illegal to possess and use Marijuana in the United States of America. And that is what should be reported! That is informing the public. Reporting that something is " legal " when in fact it is not, is not telling the truth! And that is the way it is.
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