Well, here's a bright spot: This morning on CNN I heard Anderson Cooper take on Trent Lot like a bulldog with a bone. Trentso just kept spinning and spinning about how nobody's done anything wrong handling Katrina, it's just that Katrina was so BAAAAAD. Way more bad than all those other, nicer hurricanes.
Well, Anderson refused to cut him a break. Kept badgering him with repeated questions about why it took five days for aid to arrive. About why, when we all knew ahead of time that Katrina was on her way, no one had emergency paraphernalia in place before she hit. Etc.
At one point Spinster Trentso got hot and said something like, "It's only you news media who are pointing fingers!" And Anderson -- staying way cool -- said something like, "No sir, it's not. Mr. ____ from New Orleans asked me to ask you these questions."
You know, CNN is actually getting more interesting to watch, finally! I'm noticing the change in language they're using lately. They like to refer to Bush appearances as "choreographed," etc, it's great.
ReplyDeleteMethinks the tides are turning folks! And it only took a dip to 40% approval rating for Bush to do it! Ugh, oh well...
I agree: CNN is finally asking people some of the hard questions. And it is, it's so fun!!! Nourishing. I feel like I'm bathing in a luxury bubble bath of CNN honesty, courage and decency!
ReplyDeleteHowever.... and I DO hate to be the one to dump the bucket of cold water on the fun, here, but CNN is owned by one of the largest conglomerates in the world, and the world's largest media company: Time Warner. A corporation. Owned by stock holders. Who must have their dividends increase, or they take their money elsewhere. Which would mean the end of Time Warner. In short, I mistrust this inhuman entity called Time Warner. I'm not sure this entity cares a whit about poor blacks in America, other poor in America, jobs for Americans, the quality of life for Americans. I don't know where I'm going with this, except that I'm wondering why the change in CNN behavior suddenly. Is it because they're connecting Bush's approval ratings somehow with their corporate profit?
Oh, probably. I don't know. Or maybe they grew their figurative balls back...?
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe. All I know is that this has been drilled into my head for many years by a close friend who's a full professor in Communications: After Reagan drastically deregulated the media, the major media have been bought up by big corporations whose only motive is profit. Before Reagan, the media were owned by smaller groups who had a conscience about delivering the "truth" (or as close to it as they could get). The accounting departments of newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, etc., were kept strictly separate from the heads and the reporters. It was a time-honored habit. But after Reagan, media accounting departments began running things. If a news item threatened to make readership drop, it wasn't printed. So the news we get from the major media is all molded around what won't upset people. Everything is about what will sell the product. About ratings. Truth be damned.
ReplyDeleteLol, well I learned in my American Government class that Clinton's 96 bill deregulating the media did NOT help either... We watched this great little documentary on how there is like only 4 companies in essense now... ::Le sigh::
ReplyDeleteTrue, they are purely profit driven. In this case, however, that works in our favor. The Chimperor's falling polls mean they're seeing more profit potential in bringing him down than propping him up. This is a Good Thing!
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