Stuff My Brain Says #52

You have to understand, the media can't help but give their opinions. 9/11 has changed news in a profound way. Gone are the days of morning, 6 pm and 11 pm news broadcasts. Now you have 24-hour news. Really? There are enough things happening to provide 24-hour news? Of course not. And the repetition would be mind numbing. So, they speculate, postulate, and opinionate. There are discussions with "experts" - usually via a lopsided panel. Human-interest stories to give you the "heart" of the matter at hand. And on and on.

Also, being owned by the entertainment industry doesn't exactly help either.

© Emittravel 2012

Stuff My Brain Says #48

You know, the debates are way overrated. The moderators are "esteemed members of the press" and not REAL debate moderators. These folks are "owned" by the entertainment industry and their focus is ratings - not news. They thrive on conflict, because conflict increases viewership - and viewership, through advertising dollars, pays the bills. 

What is needed are REAL debate moderators. You know, the ones that moderate debate clubs in high schools and colleges. Sure, bias will still be an issue, but have you ever watched one of those debates? They are time sticklers. They don't allow people to have open, interrupting-each-other arguments. There are rules that have to be followed, or time is deducted, as well as points. 

When they finally get around to leaving these media bozos out of the debates and bring in REAL moderators I'll watch. Until then? There are always old "Cheers" episodes on Netflix . . .

© Emittravel 2012