“Influencers replace anchors. The person delivering today’s political story is also selling nutritional supplements, promoting a candidate, and asking followers for monthly donations.” This is precisely why I don’t listen to most influencers. The moment they’re pushing a product or a particular ideology, or soliciting a donation, sponsorship, or subscription, I’m out.
A world without news media is a return to the dark ages. It’s frightening.
I spent my career in broadcast news, first in radio, then TV, then back to radio and the old CBS network, AP radio, the Wall Street Journal network, the short-lived NY Times radio operation, and finally Fox News Radio. Sad to say, but I fear you are quite accurate. The damage to democratic governance is already immense snd increasing.
By the way, after retiring from the news business, I trained as an artisan bread baker and spent the past ten years working (more happily) in bakeries in NYC and finally here in Seattle. The news industry is collapsing, and I'm glad to be gone.
This is why we at Media Action Center are fighting to protect the publicly owned airwaves. On our airwaves, CBS and others must prove that they are truly serving the Public Interest as condition of holding a broadcast license. Producing genuine news product is the best way for them to make that case.
There are many saying that the publicly owned airwaves are obsolete. Funny, they are the same ones who are trying to reduce access to real news and disparate commentary.
We are not going to let that happen. The airwaves are like the National Parks. They are ours - and we are not giving them up.
The optimist in me believes that societies worldwide have lived through painful periods of change—sometimes complete metamorphosis—and emerged with progress and positive reform because of the lessons they learned.
I hope the part of human nature that seeks justice, fairness, virtue, and true morality—not just the public display of morality or evangelism—will strengthen as people like you, Rob, recognize the red flags. I hope more people will strive to keep those values alive and help shape how our society evolves.
I think the only way to overcome the decline in critical thinking and the growing habit of accepting what we see on social media without verifying it is to actively keep real journalism alive through attribution, thorough investigation, integrity, accountability, and a commitment to the truth. We, as the audience, readers, and consumers, also have a responsibility to demand it by checking facts ourselves before commenting or sharing.
I also think this could give rise to an entirely new industry focused on independent fact-checking and verification. AI can certainly help, but it can also be wrong. I hope there's a massive course correction to what is happening. No, it won't all go away when 47 leaves office, but we can make it both admirable and profitable to be thoughtful, ethical people who are committed to finding and reporting the truth.
Ronnie, I think you got it correct, when you characterize this as a period of change. There is actually more access to news than ever before. It's not that news is dying. It's changing. It's breaking down into smaller outlets, and more partisan outlets. But this is a natural result of the democratization of the news business. I don't really have any sympathy for the dying, large media outlets, when they moan and groan about the (alleged) death of news. They oppose this democratization process because it takes control and money from them. I'm grateful the major network monopoly on news is over. But that is just my opinion. And I really like CBS as an entertainment network, but couldn't care less if their news operation ends.
The downside is that too much stuff and I literally mean to use the word “stuff”– it’s just words, words, words, words, and clips of words and video clips —that’s making it on social media and people think that’s (real) news—that it is vetted and attributed. And it is not.
Alas, when it comes to CBS, this scenario is already well underway. Despite spending a good chunk of my career at CBS News, it is no longer watched in my household. And, if we are to believe the ratings, overall viewership of CBS News is dropping like a rock.
We’ll have to see what happens with efforts to nix the Paramount-Warner merger. But, if it does come to pass as currently negotiated, CNN will be the next to fall. But will it matter anymore?
One of the reasons I decided to retire from broadcast news in 2024 is because it was clear to me that most Americans no longer had any interest in the truth. They wanted to be told that whatever they already thought was correct.
There’s an old saying: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.” It was true when Joseph de Maistre first wrote it more than 200 years ago. It remains true today.
Network news anchors and reporters, independent of whether there is any bias, unwittingly do everything they can to compromise their own credibility. Reporting every story breathlessly, waving their arms around, pointing at things they should just be showing, saying, "look at this", using the word "crisis" to describe every situation and generally adding unnecessary adjectives like tragic, concerning, and others designed to tell you what your conclusion should be. At the same time, they ignore the basics of journalism by omitting facts and failing to ask relevant questions that most news consumers would ask if they were trying to get the details of a story. These are the real reasons network news may die, and that, if it does, it will be a well-deserved, not tragic death.
I think you’ve made an interesting series of leaps -and many seem plausible. But as so often happens, we view the past with glory and reverence, some of which is deserved, much of which isn’t. Keep in mind, at the start of our Republic nearly every news vehicle (print newspapers) were partisan. A hundred years later they may actually have been even worse due to the relative ease of publication. Yellow, yellow journalism was reality. I argue it was only once broadcast was invented and deeply, starting with radio, that an effort to make news and public affairs a consideration and condition for the continued right to use the public’s airwaves. What a concept!! This informed and influenced print for a long while. In fact, until the internet arrived, we were all the beneficiaries of a special journalistic era. I am hopeful that as we develop new technologies, something similar may happen and the population will demand not the Truth but Trust. And perhaps that all begins with improving our education efforts and reading skills and encouraging critical thinking. But that’s an entirely separate conversation. Keep the faith. And I get my pension from CBS so I’m still rooting for them.
The issue is mainstream outlets chose sides and ceased being fair arbitrators of pure facts. They wove an agenda into each story and interview. They engage in "group speak." Even many conservative outlets filter their news through a singular narrative. It became opposing opinions pretending they are news. The bottom line is they are all a business to turn a profit.
“Influencers replace anchors. The person delivering today’s political story is also selling nutritional supplements, promoting a candidate, and asking followers for monthly donations.” This is precisely why I don’t listen to most influencers. The moment they’re pushing a product or a particular ideology, or soliciting a donation, sponsorship, or subscription, I’m out.
A world without news media is a return to the dark ages. It’s frightening.
I spent my career in broadcast news, first in radio, then TV, then back to radio and the old CBS network, AP radio, the Wall Street Journal network, the short-lived NY Times radio operation, and finally Fox News Radio. Sad to say, but I fear you are quite accurate. The damage to democratic governance is already immense snd increasing.
By the way, after retiring from the news business, I trained as an artisan bread baker and spent the past ten years working (more happily) in bakeries in NYC and finally here in Seattle. The news industry is collapsing, and I'm glad to be gone.
Stephen Knight
Great think piece, Rob.
This is why we at Media Action Center are fighting to protect the publicly owned airwaves. On our airwaves, CBS and others must prove that they are truly serving the Public Interest as condition of holding a broadcast license. Producing genuine news product is the best way for them to make that case.
There are many saying that the publicly owned airwaves are obsolete. Funny, they are the same ones who are trying to reduce access to real news and disparate commentary.
We are not going to let that happen. The airwaves are like the National Parks. They are ours - and we are not giving them up.
The optimist in me believes that societies worldwide have lived through painful periods of change—sometimes complete metamorphosis—and emerged with progress and positive reform because of the lessons they learned.
I hope the part of human nature that seeks justice, fairness, virtue, and true morality—not just the public display of morality or evangelism—will strengthen as people like you, Rob, recognize the red flags. I hope more people will strive to keep those values alive and help shape how our society evolves.
I think the only way to overcome the decline in critical thinking and the growing habit of accepting what we see on social media without verifying it is to actively keep real journalism alive through attribution, thorough investigation, integrity, accountability, and a commitment to the truth. We, as the audience, readers, and consumers, also have a responsibility to demand it by checking facts ourselves before commenting or sharing.
I also think this could give rise to an entirely new industry focused on independent fact-checking and verification. AI can certainly help, but it can also be wrong. I hope there's a massive course correction to what is happening. No, it won't all go away when 47 leaves office, but we can make it both admirable and profitable to be thoughtful, ethical people who are committed to finding and reporting the truth.
Ronnie, I think you got it correct, when you characterize this as a period of change. There is actually more access to news than ever before. It's not that news is dying. It's changing. It's breaking down into smaller outlets, and more partisan outlets. But this is a natural result of the democratization of the news business. I don't really have any sympathy for the dying, large media outlets, when they moan and groan about the (alleged) death of news. They oppose this democratization process because it takes control and money from them. I'm grateful the major network monopoly on news is over. But that is just my opinion. And I really like CBS as an entertainment network, but couldn't care less if their news operation ends.
The downside is that too much stuff and I literally mean to use the word “stuff”– it’s just words, words, words, words, and clips of words and video clips —that’s making it on social media and people think that’s (real) news—that it is vetted and attributed. And it is not.
how do you know what true journalism and true facts are? Do YOU vet it for at least three attributions?
Alas, when it comes to CBS, this scenario is already well underway. Despite spending a good chunk of my career at CBS News, it is no longer watched in my household. And, if we are to believe the ratings, overall viewership of CBS News is dropping like a rock.
We’ll have to see what happens with efforts to nix the Paramount-Warner merger. But, if it does come to pass as currently negotiated, CNN will be the next to fall. But will it matter anymore?
One of the reasons I decided to retire from broadcast news in 2024 is because it was clear to me that most Americans no longer had any interest in the truth. They wanted to be told that whatever they already thought was correct.
There’s an old saying: “Every nation gets the government it deserves.” It was true when Joseph de Maistre first wrote it more than 200 years ago. It remains true today.
Even 5 years ago, I would disagree strenuously. Now, I'm not so sure.
Network news anchors and reporters, independent of whether there is any bias, unwittingly do everything they can to compromise their own credibility. Reporting every story breathlessly, waving their arms around, pointing at things they should just be showing, saying, "look at this", using the word "crisis" to describe every situation and generally adding unnecessary adjectives like tragic, concerning, and others designed to tell you what your conclusion should be. At the same time, they ignore the basics of journalism by omitting facts and failing to ask relevant questions that most news consumers would ask if they were trying to get the details of a story. These are the real reasons network news may die, and that, if it does, it will be a well-deserved, not tragic death.
I think you’ve made an interesting series of leaps -and many seem plausible. But as so often happens, we view the past with glory and reverence, some of which is deserved, much of which isn’t. Keep in mind, at the start of our Republic nearly every news vehicle (print newspapers) were partisan. A hundred years later they may actually have been even worse due to the relative ease of publication. Yellow, yellow journalism was reality. I argue it was only once broadcast was invented and deeply, starting with radio, that an effort to make news and public affairs a consideration and condition for the continued right to use the public’s airwaves. What a concept!! This informed and influenced print for a long while. In fact, until the internet arrived, we were all the beneficiaries of a special journalistic era. I am hopeful that as we develop new technologies, something similar may happen and the population will demand not the Truth but Trust. And perhaps that all begins with improving our education efforts and reading skills and encouraging critical thinking. But that’s an entirely separate conversation. Keep the faith. And I get my pension from CBS so I’m still rooting for them.
The issue is mainstream outlets chose sides and ceased being fair arbitrators of pure facts. They wove an agenda into each story and interview. They engage in "group speak." Even many conservative outlets filter their news through a singular narrative. It became opposing opinions pretending they are news. The bottom line is they are all a business to turn a profit.