It’s just filling airtime, where value takes a back seat to merely creating content in an attempt to justify one’s existence.
This is how I’ve come to view much of what passes for journalism in the media ecosystem. Noise, fluff, bellicosity, competition ratcheted up to 11. It’s exhausting, too much.
The press, television, radio, even bloggers and podcasters are all integral parts of our need for information. They are a critical piece in keeping politicians honest. But a monster has been created along the way, by people with deep pockets and an agenda to push. Common sense is one casualty among many, perhaps a myth. And truth is splintered, relative, whatever it needs to be.
Maybe it’s always been this way, except anymore consumers aren’t as trusting as they once might have been. There’s still no shortage of gullibility and naivete, and the comforting presence and professionalism of Walter Cronkite has given way to ratings junkies and talking heads who seem to suffer from a chronic case of verbal diarrhea, many of whom live to start fires, stoke anger and spread doubt.
3 Cents' 