Posted by manualblock [ 69.112.69.86 ] on May 18, 2005 at 08:07:30:

In Reply to: Re: Notes of a dirty old man posted by Damir on May 18, 2005 at 03:58:18:

Somewhat miserable is putting it mildly; it's pathetic. Thats why the News Organisations focus on it. It is easily understood by the masses and provides simplistic,non-threatening topics for conversation. Reporting in depth on any subject requires tremendous resources in the form of reporters and fact checkers and then time to provide this information to the public. Time cost money, it's cheaper for the media to show a 30 sec. spot concerning some nit-wit pop star that catches the eye; then fade to endless money-making commercials; than it is to do an in depth report. Consequently people have been conditioned to react to only the simple loud and bright colored objects that require no thought and sell product.
See; here we try to embrace controversy in our culture while eliminating it in our conversation. That way the news becomes the story instead of the story being the news.
The concept that an adult should have an opinion on the important issues of the day is now forbidden except if you appear on the TV or run some kind of faux religous organisation.
The kind of personal involvement in political causes you have over there disappeared with the end of the Vietnam war here. So people watch and comment on stupidity. Thats why a guy who can barely spit out a coherent sentence can be elected to public office. People now distrust thinking and prefer to follow celebrities and their antics.

Remmeber also we have a much more diverse group of citizens here than you all do. The media needs to appeal to every type and group of person to be succesfull. It's hard to provide the relevant content in the context that will address every group and their cultural philosophies. Much easier to just show pretty pictures; and every one can relate to the foibles of human relationships like marriage and divorce.

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