[Vision2020] Shift In Media?

[Tbertruss at aol.com]

Tim et. al.

We are talking past each other.  How typical and funny!

I originally stated that the profit motive, when allowed to dominate the media, is destroying Democracy.  The Sandy Berger story about document theft, and how it was reported, prompted me to make that statement.  I also offered as an example the media coverage of the Gore v Bush 2000 election night in Florida to illustrate my point, an example which does not fit the sensationalized "blood, sex and violence" model for sensational stories, but nonetheless does illustrate centralized media control with a bottom line profit motive ruining fair and accurate journalism.

Now we can debate how much of a profit motive leading to domination of news coverage by the bottom line is acceptable, how much media concentration of power is acceptable, etc.

But you suggested that the media has always been dominated by sensationalism and profit, so what I suggested is nothing new.  However, I pointed out that the domination of news by the profit motive, coupled with increasing centralization of media, has accelerated in the past 40 years.  News gathering and reporting organizations that were once able to operate with loyalty to high journalistic standards now do not do so as much as they did.  I gave CBS news as an example of this trend.

So I still stand by my original statement.  There has been an increasing domination of so called "news" in the media by increasingly compromised news departments, who will drop important coverage of stories that a responsible news organization would try to cover, for the hyped profit generating stories more accurately described as "infotainment."  And that this is damaging Democracy here in the US to a serious degree.  I think what I am suggesting is especially apparent in televised cable or Network news outlets, more than newspapers or magazines.  And many people just watch televised news these days, skipping the newspaper!

You apparently think the kind of shift in the media I just suggested has not occurred.  You apparently think the balance in news coverage between a sensationalized profit generating news style, "infotainment" some call it, and a more "responsible" journalistic style, has not changed significantly.  

Of course, I assume that you understand that use of the public air-waves, which for profit news organizations are using, implies an obligation to cover certain subjects with factual integrity and relevance to critical issues in our society, even if these stories don't gain the highest numbers of viewers or readers.

So again, in view of this public responsibility of media, I still assert the media landscape has shifted in a manner doing increasing damage to the media's responsibility to report news of critical importance to the Democratic process. You admit there has been increasing centralization of media, but you think how much media content is balanced between profit dominated goals and public service Democratic goals has not changed.

We just disagree.

Thanks for the exchange of ideas.

Ted Moffett