TV News

Newsweek has an article this week about the season finale of the television show Lost, which is all fine and good considering it is in the "Entertainment" section of the magazine. But more and more television shows are becoming part of the news that is being provided by what is supposed to be reputable news sources. When Survivor was first on the air each of the people who were voted off were paraded out on the CBS morning show and interviewed and discussed their experiences as if such a thing was newsworthy. Of course the morning shows probably should not be considered real news sources, but they pretend to be quality news.

Today, legitimate news magazines such as Newsweek are promoting articles such as the season finale of Lost as a reason to purchase their product. They downplay real news stories, have reduced the space in the magazine for actual news stories, and have apparently decided to forgo actual investigative journalism in lieu of the easy story that requires no thought process for the writer, editor or reader.

Newsweek is not the only culprit. Television news broadcasts provide stories regarding American Idle and those voted off the stage and all of the warm praises Simon provides them as if this is an important event for those watching the broadcast seeking newsworthy events.

Timing, significance, proximity, prominence and human interest are the categories which are generally used to determine if a story is newsworthy. A story needs to fit into at least two of the categories to be considered. Articles about fictional stories on television or contestants on game shows do not meet this criteria except in the most extreme scenario. When Ken Jennings who won for six months straight and had over $2 million of winnings lost it was worth a news cycle, but the day in and day out stories in the news about what is on television degrades the news process and only proves that Americans are not concerned with the things that are going on around them; rather, Americans are disconnected and uninterested in the impact of their actions in the world; they only concern themselves with television shows.

Instead of talking about fictional stories, it is time that Americans start getting an education in its impact on the world and how the citizens of the nation are fairing under this Administration’s ineptness. Americans should be getting news stories about Darfur, Liberia, Afghanistan, the poor in LA, Topeka and New York. These are actual stories that fit in the criteria for news and should be in place of stories about fictional events. So long as the media outlets continue to report on non-newsworthy events Americans will remain apatetic to their role in world. It is time for the media to be responsible for presenting actual newsworthy events so Americans can become more engaged in their surroundings.