Don't you find it a little curious that most of the real Journalism today is

[WCGreen]

done using the written word...

I mean down and dirty, get in the trenches, line up sources and do actual reporting without regard to corporate America...

Just look at where the only real reporting questioning the run up to the Iraq war was conducted off the radar by the Knight Ridder News Agency...

And the work done at PBS had all but been stifled until it became Politically okay to start questioning what exactly was going on...

So why is this...

There has to be other reasons beside corporate culpability...

I have a theory that the people who are on TV, you know the talking heads and the ones who pull the strings, are close enough to that elite upper class that they can smell the green backs...

In other words, From Matt Lauer to Wolf Blitzer to Maria Bartaloma, all reside in that upper crust, the higher income tax brackets that are getting all the breaks...

Their 401k's are tide directly to the stock market...

In other words, they are deeply committed to the preservation of the good old status quo...

The poor slubs out beyond the belt way, living some place other than the Upper East Side, are working for a living...

They actually care about the effect their work will have on the future of this country...

In other words, they have integrity...

So I guess we should expect the people presenting gussied up press releases off as news really don't have the best interests of the public in mind...

Why do we even think that any of them really do...

I don't know, maybe I am getting too old for all of this anymore, getting far to cynical, seeing no real light at the end of the tunnel for our society...

I have lost good friends over that past twenty years or so because I was far too interested in politics, in public affairs...

One friend of mine from college, someone I have known for thirty years, even went so far as to tell me I was having a bad influence on his kids because I was too political, he didn't want me coming around anymore...

I have no idea what this rant is really about except to say that I am deeply frustrated...

But should I expect anything more from a culture that defines itself via material status, takes great stock in financial success no matter what the cost and glorifies and rewards those who put profits over people...

As the kids would say, Peace Out...

[allalone]

1. there is only one good reason to watch tv news

that is to see what happened in your town. You can be done with it in 12 minutes.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. K&R

Rant on.......you do it well!

:patriot:

[illinoisprogressive]

3. Bill moyers gave us a glimpse into Josh marshall's operation. Like a little news serivce

Knight ridder and blogs like marshall's are the news today. The msm is entertainment. they do news as a deversion until the next anna nicole style story comes.

[mnhtnbb]

4. Remember that song from Cabaret? "Money makes the world go around...."

Welcome to the cabaret of the USA.

[WCGreen]

6. And just as decadent ...

And, perhaps worse, just as sanctimonious...

[OHdem10]

5. I have maintained for years that there isa discconnect

between Media (TV and Written esp. in Washington) which
is based on Income Differences.

It is only natural when your income is in the millions
(TV anchors) you begin to move in different circles
socially and you develop a different world view.
It is human nature.

Taxcuts sound better better, the higher your income, unless
you are a committed liberal. You will not find many committed
liberals in this group.

IMO, the change in economic status tends to make them
more willing to accept the Republican Line on everything.

Further the Corporate Takeover of News by only a handful
of large companies has an impact on reporters.
The Reporters develop a "do not rock the boat" mindset
and self-censor. Corporations for the most part like
Republicans(ProBusiness to the extreme). I cannot help
but think this makes a reporter think before she/he writes
and reports a story. It also influences how and which stories
are selected to go in a paper or on TV News Program.

Newspapers have more leeway, IMO. Example: WAPO is owned
by Republican Family. Predictably the Editorial Page will
carry a Republican Slant for the Most part. Remainder of
paper will have a mix of views. Many Newspaers are this
way.

[LibertyorDeath]

7. Great point !

Yes the talking heads have a lot of self interest at stake

in how and what they report or don't report.

Lines up well with their corporate masters...

"I have lost good friends over that past twenty years or so because I was far too interested in politics, in public affairs."

that sucks but

The problem with a lot of people is they are not political enough IMO..

Rec!

[sandnsea]

8. newsmodels

I don't think you can go to work for a cable network at 25, never get out into the trenches and do hard journalism, and expect to be taken seriously ever in your career. I don't think some of the younger ones mean to be so stupid. I think the ones like Contessa Brewer just don't believe how bad it is, and figure somebody is going to sit there reading the drivel so it might as well be her. She always talks about how her mom is a teacher, she sounds economically vulnerable to me. But yeah, the TV set is just a big lie box. I haven't believed a word out of it in at least a decade.