The death of the city newspaper often is blamed on the economy. But what really killed it is the 24/7 news cycle created by CNN and the Internet. By time a newspaper is printed, its news is already history.
Another victim of the 24/7 news cycle is good, solid reporting. Since this cycle is driven by a constant supply of new information, the emphasis is on producing words -- not on investigating truth. As a result, sound bites have become the golden currency of the media. And words really do speak louder than action.
Think about it. A government official eloquently reads a speech written by a professional speech writer. But before a reporter has a chance to match the official's action with his words, the news cycle has moved on to the next sound bite. Most people, yielding to short attention spans and the desire for novelty, don't care that the official's speech doesn't align with his life. And if those few people who do care try to point out the contradictions, they're ignored, ridiculed or considered irrelevant dinosaurs.
Thus, someone like Al Gore, for instance, can become the guru of the green movement even though his carbon footprint is bigger than that of Paul Bunyan.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment