Consider this:
CNN was running “news” about who Tiger has been with… that was originally “broken” by the National Enquirer. Here’s one of CNN’s pieces.
I look at this as a bad answer to that eternal question: do I give the people what they want… or what they need? Since Thanksgiving, the media has been giving us what we “want”… and I use that term loosely.
Usually, when you give people what they want, you receive handsome financial rewards. Giving people what they need, however, earns you very little financially, and even less in terms of gratitude. (Just ask the nation’s best teacher and best entertainers what they’re worth and what kind of fan mail they get.) And since the results you get from giving people what they need are long term, whereas the financial rewards of catering to peoples’ whims tend to be immediate, then unless you have kids or other interests that compel you to take a long term view of life, you really probably don’t care.
I’m guessing then that we know something about the people who’ve been running these stories, then: they have substantially more interest in a short term financial pop than any long term benefits for their constituents.
Of which I am one.
And to all the news outlets pandering to me: go stick it in your ear.
Quick Q&A Between me and the media
Q: Should we not report that his public image is a lie?
A: Correct. And while you’re at it, don’t treat athletes (or anyone) like their gods in the first place. That creates the monster.
Q: Where’s the line between what people want and what they need?
A: It’s debatable. But here’s a clue: if the Enquirer scoops the story, you’ve probably crossed the line.
Q: We live in a nation of rubberneckers. We have to run this to grab their attention.
A: Then maybe your cost structure is too high and 24/7 news isn’t the best idea. There are ways to be profitable while protecting the integrity of your reporting.
Q: Famous people have given up the right to privacy.
A: I really don’t need a society that can’t distinguish between fame and infamy. Tiger is famous. His other women are infamous… if they’re anything at all.
The president received the Nobel Prize last week. Health care hit a stumbling block in Congress. Banks that jacked up credit card fees and minimum payments are shockingly exiting the TARP program just as executive compensation caps are coming into effect… and this news is being glossed over as “good news about the economy.” Yet…
CNN leads with a gossip piece in which they have to credit the National Enquirer for the “scoop.”
This is bullshit.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree- agree- agree! What this man did in his personal life is none of our business, and certainly not news. I couldn’t care less if he slept with 7 dwarfs and a goat. His job is to play golf. He plays golf well. He’s just a guy who is human and we don’t know what made him make this decision, nor should we. Glad you called BS on the new orgs. Let’s get back to the news that really affects all of us.
love it. can you take fox/glenn beck to task next, please?
f
@Trish—”…in other news, Prince Charming has been spending quite a bit of time at the dwarf’s cottage, while Snow White has reported a goat missing from the castle grounds…” I dunno… even I might have to stop and see what the heck that story is about.
@Fran—I’ve done a little on Fox. (I liken the station to ‘the anti-Christ’s Gabriel’ in H2SD.) As for Beck, a warning for anyone considering calling him out: “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get covered in shit and the pig loves it.”