How Is News Reported Today?

As a person from the “older” generation, I can remember when television news programs actually reported straight up unbiased news. I can remember when the news media did not have any personal agenda other than just reporting the news as it actually was. I can remember when anchors & reporters were not striving to become famous or celebrities. The anchors & reporters of those news programs went to great lengths to maintain honesty and integrity. Boy, has all of that gone by the way side! I find it difficult to even relate what I see today to news reporting, other than a couple of thirty minute programs once a day.

I think it all started with the 24-hours news channels. I recall thinking at the time “just how much news is there in a 24-hour period?” Obviously, I was aware that their intentions were to repeat some topics, but still…I imagine that at the time, in some cases, there were no other personal agenda’s; just trying to be the first to report a news story. But things have changed!

What is most irritating to me is not so much of what they are saying but their dishonesty and hypocrisy. Take Fox News for example (and they are not alone here). You constantly hear their anchors and host lashing out at their news competitors (opponents) for using exactly the same underhanded tactics that they use. At those times the only difference is their competitors would be talking about Fox’s “golden” child, and boy Fox doesn’t like that! They go on the defensive. And their only defense is to attack the messenger and ignore the facts. You will never see Fox spending time on an unfavorable story about their political party. Occasionally there is a story that they just can not find a way to avoid “mentioning”, but you can bet the farm they will spend a minimal amount of time reporting it. I find it so ironic that when there is an unfavorable breaking story about a Republican or the Republican Party all of the other news outlets are carrying the story. Then you turn to Fox News and they are talking about something totally different and ignoring the breaking story. Usually they are just engaging in idle chit-chat. Heck, even at those times they won’t even be shooting down the other party. They are trying to give the impression that they think reporting anything negative about a political party is the biggest sin in the world. Did I mention dishonesty and hypocrisy already?

One thing that many of these so-called “news” channels are good at is reporting rumors and innuendos’ as gospel when it supports their agenda. I can remember a time when news outlets would not report any story of the sort I am talking about without confirmation. But now, just as long as the rumor or innuendo supports their agenda, no confirmation required! These people have no moral values and do not care who or what gets hurt or destroyed because of malpractice reporting. When the facts come out later and disprove the validity of one of these kinds of reports, they just conveniently ignore it. They take the attitude that nobody wants to here yesterday’s news. Did I mention dishonesty and hypocrisy already?

What truly amazes me is I run across acquaintances every day that swears by some of the news outlets. These are people who are educated & learned people. Some hold very responsible positions. They absolutely refuse to even have a competitor’s news channel on their television, let alone listen to them. When I ask why they would not want to get different views on different topics their immediate reply is “why would I want to listen to lies”? The fact of the matter is that the news channel they watch is generally saying what they want to hear, and facts & truth is of no consequence. They have taken the attitude “I’ve already made my mind up and I am not interested in the facts”.

We hear of so many stories about kids doing things dishonest or immoral. Now I don’t blame all of this on the dishonest and immoral news reporting, but as so-called adults how can we chastise them when we are doing or supporting the same thing through our news outlets. Many adults are just like the story of the kid and the cookie jar. If we let them get away with taking one cookie today they will get two cookies tomorrow. And they will progressively get worse until they are stopped. Will this philosophy apply to the kids I mentioned? If they see adults getting away with dishonesty and immoral ways today, will they do the same thing tomorrow and even take it to a higher level when they become adults? Where does this stop?

One last question. Does anybody remember Joseph Raymond McCarthy? Talk about a person who was dishonest, immoral, and just plain out lied! And some of the news media just took his word and, in many cases, praised & supported him. Thank God we had some news people with integrity back then.