News Irratitaiton Side:

I am not for rants.  Well, that is not true.  I am not one for typed rants, but there is one thing that irritates me on TV that I feel must be vented.  Well, actually there are several things that can be irritating on TV, but the evening news gets my wrath this time due to it being on frequently in my home.

I do enjoy the weather part of the news, it is about the only part I find useful.  If there is something that I really need to know I figure that the weather radio will kick on or the emergency broadcast system will. Other then that I find it to be talking heads or people blowing up something more than it needs to be.

In recent years, well, at least the last decade, news has gone downhill.  Part is to blame of the decline of newspaper circulation/budgets.  Part due to the lessening of news reporting independence from large interests, and part is probably due to an apathetic audience.  Without good independent reporting, that one can make a living from, one can argue we are getting spoon fed from interest groups.  I find some news useful.  After all, I do love my NPR, but they also have had their issues on occassion.

If I am watching whatever big story there is out there, I am already hearing more fluff then needed.  Right now the big one is the Colorado theater shooting.  In addition to the facts, they are, as usual, over sensationalize it.  The killer might be acquitted due to such and such loop hole.  What certain drugs may or may not have been in play. All this stuff is supposition or just extra sensationalism; as if the event were not bad enough as it already stands.  The guy is not going to walk out of jail, nor, at this point, is there evidence as to what role drugs may or may not have played.  Stick to the facts and report when proper research backs it up.

But this is not a there-is-not-enough-independent-reporting or a stop-putting-extra-crap in the news rant. Well, maybe it has some of that, but it is not the main point.  My rant has to do with the even further lowing of already poor quality of the news, at least TV news, with Facebook and Twitter.  

The main news that runs in my house always has one or two moments where the reporters read what viewers have posted on the stations Facebook page in response to a story.  While I do not have any statistical numbers, I have read posted responses to stories online before.  The majority, in my opinion, are non-intelligent comments that don’t add value.  Feedback in certain forums can be enlightening, responses to stories on the news, not so much.  

The second irritation that ties into my rant is referencing/using Facebook or Tweets on the news.  A girl was murdered about six months back in my county.  The news used photos and read off condolence posts that were put on her Facebook page.  Something goes with Tweet quotes.  Bad form.

I find this an invasion of privacy.  Yes, yes, I know, don’t post it unless you are willing for all to see it.  But let’s face it, most of us don’t post a photo on Facebook ever thinking it will end up on news or printed in the newspapers.  I also think this circumvents allowing the family to decide how much they want or don’t want out there.  Lastly, we circle back to my extra crap in the news irritation.  Yes, people are sad when someone dies/houses are destroyed/other catastrophe happens, but reading their “my love to the such and such family” posts does not add value to the story.

The last, and probably most annoying thing, is the news referencing Facebook posts or Tweets as if they were fact.  I can post anything I want on the Internet.  I am now the CEO of Nike, Microsoft, AND Google.  Hopefully now that this “fact” is established I will start getting a paycheck to go with my new status.  The reason behind this might tie into the start of this blog.  There are not as many good independent reporters around.  With resources stretched thin it is easier to look for premade stories then actually finding and researching a real story. 

Regardless of the reasons it boils down to this: Unverified or superfluous posts do not make news.