My new diet
Feb. 20th, 2012 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisI'm going on a TV news diet. We have four local TV news outlets. One for each of the four major networks. Each of them air - during early evening - 1.5 to 2 hours of local news. Seattle is a big city. There's lots happening but we rarely - and I mean only once every decade or so - have more than 30 minutes of local news in any one day. At least the kind that true journalists can report (verified, substantiated news).
So, they take that 30 minutes (which is usually more like 15) of solid news and stretch it out with totally inane commentary and reporting based on the opinions of the 20 somethings they send around to find out what's new.
The Powell family saga is about as good as it gets. It nearly put me over the edge. But last night's reporting of the people killed in the avalanche is what really did it. Our local news is either one short story stretched out beyond belief and beaten to death or a story about which they know nothing yet but insist on hours of endless coverage anyway.
I started out in life as a news reporter - back in the day - before Woodward and Bernstein - before news sources were facebook pages. I know and appreciate the value of real news. I want to know what's going on in the community I inhabit.
I don't want to ignore what's happening or get my headlines from John Stewart. But, I can no longer stand to be insulted by our TV news. (Our local newspaper is not that much better - just more tedious to consume.)
It's a habit. At 5 pm I turn on the news and get up and feed the cats and start the heating up or cooking or whatever is required for my own dinner. I leave it on while I putter and then eat and do other stuff. I end up watching 2 freakin' hours of the crap.
No more.
Tonight, I'll turn on NPR instead. I'll use it as my methadone.
I'll check the headlines on the homepages of the 4 station's websites. Watch NBC's nightly news. Check the headlines (the first minute) of CBS and ABC news before I delete them off of TiVo. I'll turn on one of the local news shows at 11 and use it to sleep by (it usually takes me about 3 mins to go to sleep). I'll monitor Twitter (at least three of the local news stations have excellent Twitter feeds).
We have at least two very excellent local news blogs and one good local news/commentary website.
I'm going to try it. Starting today.
So, they take that 30 minutes (which is usually more like 15) of solid news and stretch it out with totally inane commentary and reporting based on the opinions of the 20 somethings they send around to find out what's new.
The Powell family saga is about as good as it gets. It nearly put me over the edge. But last night's reporting of the people killed in the avalanche is what really did it. Our local news is either one short story stretched out beyond belief and beaten to death or a story about which they know nothing yet but insist on hours of endless coverage anyway.
I started out in life as a news reporter - back in the day - before Woodward and Bernstein - before news sources were facebook pages. I know and appreciate the value of real news. I want to know what's going on in the community I inhabit.
I don't want to ignore what's happening or get my headlines from John Stewart. But, I can no longer stand to be insulted by our TV news. (Our local newspaper is not that much better - just more tedious to consume.)
It's a habit. At 5 pm I turn on the news and get up and feed the cats and start the heating up or cooking or whatever is required for my own dinner. I leave it on while I putter and then eat and do other stuff. I end up watching 2 freakin' hours of the crap.
No more.
Tonight, I'll turn on NPR instead. I'll use it as my methadone.
I'll check the headlines on the homepages of the 4 station's websites. Watch NBC's nightly news. Check the headlines (the first minute) of CBS and ABC news before I delete them off of TiVo. I'll turn on one of the local news shows at 11 and use it to sleep by (it usually takes me about 3 mins to go to sleep). I'll monitor Twitter (at least three of the local news stations have excellent Twitter feeds).
We have at least two very excellent local news blogs and one good local news/commentary website.
I'm going to try it. Starting today.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-21 12:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-21 12:20 am (UTC)You told me before I visited that Seattle's news outlets are 4th rate. You are wrong. They are 5th rate.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-02-21 01:23 am (UTC)Interestingly, the local news in Thailand always has a section on what the royals are doing--visiting a farm, passing out diplomas, whatever. It's become my favorite thing to watch over here.