Journalism, My View-Updated

 

I know I gave a little bit of my view on journalism on my blog but I feel I need to add more. I was going through my email. I came across a newsletter on journalism I subscribe to. An article on the newsletter caught my eye called: Fox News Fracas Aside, the White House Makes Some Valid Points.

 

I went to read the article. I found myself making comment. I didn’t agree with his view. I just had to make a comment.

I was reading a book written by Tom Fenton called ‘Bad News’. He writes in his book part of the problem with the news is cut backs. I have to say “Yeah, cut backs create problems towards good journalism.”

 

But Tom Fenton also states in his book some of the problem is lazy reporting (not stating facts right instead of researching the facts, bias, stuff along these lines) I have to say this is problem too. I find some reporters or journalists just give a leader’s view point on a bill. For instance, take the health care bill. Newspapers and broadcasting news tell the leaders view point of instead of going to the bill, finding the facts in the bill, and giving a blow by blow report on it. I have yet to find something like this in newspapers or broadcasting news except in blogs I read.

 

I have yet to see reporters/journalist like the two that discovered Watergate and brought a president down. I have yet to see a reporter write a story about a leaders bad ethics that should be brought into check or oust of office.

 

There should be more reporting on foreign affairs so we’re not caught off guard. There should be some old time journalism with the new, meaning foot work. As Tom Fenton also wrote in his book, journalist should be the watchmen for the people, letting us know “the British are coming” for the lack of better words. I agree with this but I haven’t seen it lately.

There was another article by this same gentleman that wrote this newsletter called: Fox News, the White House, and the Dangers of Only Listening to Opinions Like Your Own.  I found myself commenting on. This is what I said:

I agree with Pete and Katy.

 

Not to mention, I have read both sides and listen to both sides. Sir, I can’t help but think what some people call the conservative news is more “fair and objective” than the so called liberal news.

 

Perhaps, the newspapers and broadcasting news should do a survey to the people around to find out what they want. They should get back in touch with people instead of alienating them.

 

Both articles seemed to me to be criticizing  Fox News and sticking up for the liberal news. The gentleman mentioned the decline in newspaper sales and the decline in folks watching broadcasting news like ABC too. Of course, I am not sure if the gentleman meant to criticize  Fox News or not. I am giving him a benefit of a doubt here and say he didn’t mean it.

 

I have read books on this similar subject of the decline of newspapers and broadcast news. Yes, some by what some people call liberals books too. The liberal books I read just mention the problem as cut backs for the decline. The conservative books I read mention cut backs but also bias on the decline. To me liberal bias is the problem with the Mainstream Media, not just cut backs.

 

I don’t know about anybody else but I have seen bias in newspaper articles by reporters. Not to mention, with broadcasting news. I have read articles where a reporters view was written in the article. The article wasn’t in the opinion column, the blog section, or lifestyles section but in regular news section. I have read a article where the reporter sounded gleeful about the swine flu becoming an epidemic. (I kid you not about that. He did sound gleeful about it.) I have read articles where the reporter fawned over a president so much I wanted to puke. I have read articles where the reporter was down right nasty and hateful. I wondered why he hadn’t been fired. It is also one way to alienate people. I have read articles that were so sugar coated I couId go into a diabetic coma.

 

I do have to admit I do like an article where the reporter regularly does sports, ends up writing about a ballet. It is pretty interesting in a cute way.

 

I want to see “fair and objective” in the news. To me “fair and objective” is being as neutral as Switzerland during World War 2. The reporter’s view is good in the lifestyle section, the blog section, and opinion column but not regular news. I don’t mind bias on broadcast programs like Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Sean Hannity. If I don’t like them I don’t have to watch them, change channel. Also, it is the job of the host on these programs to stir things up and make people think. With regular news it should be “fair and objective”. I feel like I have been let down by these companies and wished they would get a freakin’ clue.

 

NOTE: The gentleman that I talked about in this post is named Tony Rogers. I may not agree with some of the stuff he writes but he does have good advise on writing journalism, writing tips, etc., check him out at Tony Rogers.