The current state of televised U.S. News Media

Originally Posted by wstar

The major news companies have never really cared about delivering relevant and insightful news, they care about profit, and this type of reporting is what their board has decided makes the most profit. Luckily there are good reporters and columnists out there covering the real stuff, and these companies also employ those guys and give them an outlet, they just don't make the front page very often anymore.

Originally Posted by Lug

I disagree. <old man voice on> "Back in my day....."

Seriously, there used to be an implied public trust and standard that most of the mainstream media held themselves to. That's gone for the most part unless you listen to something like NPR. I blame Dan Rather and Jerry Springer!

Originally Posted by wstar

Well, I would agree the media was more trustable in the past, but I don't think it was altruistic. I think the public cared more about getting real news back then, and so it made profit sense for them to be that way at the time. It's the change in the public attitude that drives the change in the media, in other words.