Too Much Celebrity News????

Well, this is kind of interesting. I read a story today about a Pew Research study which shows that the vast majority of Americans believe the media spends too much time covering celebrities and scandals, and not enough time covering serious news.

87% of the respondents said the media spends way too much time on celebrity gossip. Only 8% felt the media gets it right when balancing gossip and real news.

As a person employed in the media, I hate what my profession has become. We spend way too much time on shit that doesn't matter, while ignoring the important things, or burying them somewhere. Investigative reporting went out the window years ago.

For instance, at this very moment, a constitutional crisis is brewing because the White House is defying Congress in refusing to let White House staffers testify in the Attorneys General firings. This is serious stuff, but how much have you seen or read about it?

If today's media existed in 1972, Watergate would have never happened. Richard Nixon would have gone on to serve out his second term, and probably left office as a fairly-respected ex-president. If the media of 1972 existed now, George Bush would have been impeached long ago. Or better yet, he probably wouldn't have been in office at all, because the media would have shed light on the shady goings on in Florida in 2000.

Not only is the media ignoring important matters, it's sensationalizing trivial matters. In any major city in this country, there's a cop chase every single day. It's not news. But every time there's a cop chase, the tv stations have to launch their choppers and break into programming with wall-to-wall coverage. It's unbelievable.

The tragedy that happened in Phoenix was bound to happen. All these choppers flying in close proximity to each other, trying to get the best shot, was a disaster waiting to happen.

All of this sensationalism is desensitizing all of us. Back in the day, "BREAKING NEWS" was reserved for serious shit. When you turned on the tv and saw that banner, you knew something serious was going on. Today, tv stations break in for the most trivial thing.

But, having said all of that, I also have to say that the public shares at least 50% of the blame. The public eats this shit up. It leads to higher ratings, and higher revenues for the media. The media is merely feeding the habit of the public. We're the dealer selling the drug of pablum to the audience. If you would quit watching, I guarantee this shit would stop, and the media would get back to what it's supposed to be doing.

The media is supposed to serve a vital function in our democracy. It's not supposed to be all about game shows, and reality shows, and entertainment. It's supposed to be the watch dog of our government. And this watchdog has fallen down on the job.