After having read the Pew Research Center's Annual Report on American Journalism, I have to agree with the article's assessment that the print and cable news industries are failing to function as the leading sources of news in America. No doubt, there is little financing to be found in print or cable advertising, and this has lead to an unimpressive, and frankly disappointing, news service.
Because the cash flow within the news industry is decreasing, print and cable news have compromised their quality and authenticity as informative and influential agencies. No wonder readers have opted to find news online, when print and broadcast journalism is so unsophisticated and trashy.
When the journalism industry recognized the deficit in advertising and funding, it should have embraced the concept of returning to basics, instead of resorting to cheap tricks to pull in a greater audience.
I find it embarrassing that a major news source such as NBC must cheapen itself to include superficial content within its programming in order to reach its audience. Certainly, the status of Mel Gibson's marriage is not comparable to a deep report into American politics and economics.
The news media should be cutting edge-- breaking boundaries and social rules in order to provide the most compelling and important information. Instead, print and cable media is a joke. Subsidizing its content with laughable material is a shame. There is so much potential within the media to question and deliberate current issues-- why doesn't the media industry capitalize on fresh and provocative ideas instead of on stale celebrity news?
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Well put, I remember you mentioned this in class. They are getting desperate now and it is showing. There should always be a clear distinction between a news source like NBC and OMG!
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