News on TV is not News
Just watched fifteen minutes of news on the TV. It's nice to do that every once in awhile to remind myself why I generally don't.
Topics:
- Sugar free red bull can be fatal (no details) : you know my feelings on that: what are the chances? My guess: > 50 million units sold, < 5 deaths. I'll get details and post them here later. [edit: BILLIONS SOLD in 2006 ALONE, three deaths in 2001 only]
- Obama vs. Cain running mates guessing. Note this is not an announcement, just guessing...
- Should teachers be armed in Texas (this was the most interesting, and perhaps even helpful, but it's really just a left-field (or should I say, right-field) type of thing that won't even pass in Texas, much less anywhere else, so better if they just tell me once 5-10 schools have passed it...not just one CONSIDERING it)?
- A killing somewhere (guy was caught and sentenced, I think). The only reason I could figure that it made the "news" is that the abduction was on tape, so we could be entertained by watching it.
- Finally, a news story on the number of hours in a lifetime that men vs. women spend "getting ready" (3000 vs. 1000 hours), followed by a detailed discussion of each newscaster's personal routine.
From now on, I'm going to put "news" in quotes, and when I talk about it, I'm going to use air-quotes.
Are Newspapers as bad?
4 comments:
Imho, newspapers are as bad, but it's all more in-depth. Which is bad if the topic is 'celebrity' gossip or similar manufactured rubbish, but good if it's genuine news.
NPR and the BBC radio offer international news and broad perspectives. PBS tv offers daily in depth news also not related to fluff and entertainment.
Problem is that one has to pay more attention than is necessary for the usual sound bites that "new" has become.
correction: newS rather than new....oy
I might try watching PBS news. Thanks for putting "news" in quotes.
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