And that's the news...
Looking at the world these days, it seems as if society is unraveling around the globe. Much of what we see and hear is provided in order to garner attention and generate revenue. The adage "if it bleeds, it leads" seems to be the norm these days, the bigger the train wreck, literally or proverbially, the more the media swarms, and apparently the more we devour.
I believe the systemic issue here is capitalism driving news coverage. This is not to say a state-run news organisations are the answer either, there are plenty of propaganda examples throughout the modern area and they continue today. A better solution may only independent organisations funded by public money that would have a stake in accurate, non-sensational news with investigative rigor. This is the goal of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, for which it mostly achieves. It even still subscribes to the oft disregarded Fairness Doctrine, lost in the 1980's, which gave rise to the extreme biases now displayed in our coverage. Compounding the issue networks decided, also in the 1980's, that the news arm of their business must contribute to the bottom line, no longer a service for the good of the democracy.
This is not to say media is entirely at fault, we as a society is complicit in pushing the media in this direction. Typical citizenry is apathetic for a multitude of reasons, i.e. a feeling of helplessness or hopelessness, shallow pursuits, living lives so busy they can't afford engagement, or they may be overly stimulated by the talking heads and controversies no matter how small or contrived. And many only consume their news from one site, channel or show, which then strengthens opinions and reinforces biases and possible misinformation. This in turn stops any meaningful discourse and ability to have a change of mind, or heart.
Society is also lacking key skills in logical thinking, education as it relates to a functioning government and policies, and the intellectual curiosity to advance their knowledge outside their small sphere. Until this changes and we as a whole require change from our elected officials, the perceived (and real) unraveling will continue. Put plainly, it's not going to change anytime soon or possibly ever.
I believe the systemic issue here is capitalism driving news coverage. This is not to say a state-run news organisations are the answer either, there are plenty of propaganda examples throughout the modern area and they continue today. A better solution may only independent organisations funded by public money that would have a stake in accurate, non-sensational news with investigative rigor. This is the goal of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, for which it mostly achieves. It even still subscribes to the oft disregarded Fairness Doctrine, lost in the 1980's, which gave rise to the extreme biases now displayed in our coverage. Compounding the issue networks decided, also in the 1980's, that the news arm of their business must contribute to the bottom line, no longer a service for the good of the democracy.
This is not to say media is entirely at fault, we as a society is complicit in pushing the media in this direction. Typical citizenry is apathetic for a multitude of reasons, i.e. a feeling of helplessness or hopelessness, shallow pursuits, living lives so busy they can't afford engagement, or they may be overly stimulated by the talking heads and controversies no matter how small or contrived. And many only consume their news from one site, channel or show, which then strengthens opinions and reinforces biases and possible misinformation. This in turn stops any meaningful discourse and ability to have a change of mind, or heart.
Society is also lacking key skills in logical thinking, education as it relates to a functioning government and policies, and the intellectual curiosity to advance their knowledge outside their small sphere. Until this changes and we as a whole require change from our elected officials, the perceived (and real) unraveling will continue. Put plainly, it's not going to change anytime soon or possibly ever.