The News: Truth or Entertainment?

Whether it was ever truthful our news outlets were at one time trusted. We had journalists that reported on the everyday occurrences of America in print, radio, and television. They became as trusted as our own family members.

Today, it seems as if we have more personalities than journalists. It seems as if the goal of the news is to present us with these personalities in hopes of gaining subscribers, viewers, internet followers and advertising dollars. The news has become more of a popularity contest in which entertainment means more than truth.

Breaking news has become more important than actual news.

The print media consists of newspapers, magazines, and periodicals. At one time they filled newsstands and stores. Our previous generation had grown up with print media and it held more trust than television. In major cities there would be three editions of a daily paper.

Even radio news had as much if not more trust than television. People would tune in for morning news and updates.

When television news became mainstream everyone had their favorite news station to watch. Each reported the same thing, only the anchors were different. At best, we got an hour of local and world news in the early evening than the same late at night.

All these news outfits valued journalism over entertainment. They wanted to be a trusted entity in our lives more than anything else. The news was very understated. There was no hype over journalists or content. The news was a serious matter.

As we look at today, we may find that people are more inclined to mention the personalities who give us the news than what they report. The messenger is more important than the message. Thus, when we get news from someone that we do not like we are less inclined to believe, listen to or accept it. If we get the news from our chosen personality, we are more willing to believe and accept it as truth.

This leads to one-sided news. When the news becomes slanted to what the network feels the people want instead of giving us the whole story. The more viewership the slant brings in the better. So, truth can be whatever the network wants it to be.

Editorials have replaced journalism.

There are reasons for this with the biggest being ad revenue. Everything in the media is based on it. The news must keep up with everything else fighting for Madison Avenue dollars. This leads to the style of how networks present news replacing its substance.

Trust in the news is shrinking. What we once knew and trusted is now gone. It seems as if our news outlets have sold out to the entertainment dollar.

The day of staid news is becoming a memory. Slanted news has taken over. Outside of National Public Radio journalism is all but dead.

For the public, the messenger has become more important than the message.

And entertainment is more important than the truth.