Amy, great points, as always. But this is more than about not understanding the role of AP in the fourth estate. Nor is this merely about media literacy. 1. the public doesn't trust the news media these days, as the news business has given them little reason to trust them, especially in the half-decade after 9/11, when many in mainstream journalism sat on their hands while rights were being curtailed (Patriot Acts, anyone?). 2. the news media and the public are in a negative symbiotic relationship, where one feeds the other candy corn news while the other eats it, expecting nothing more substantial. Last week's series of non-scandal scandals (the AP issue aside, of course) is one example. The wall-to-wall coverage of Jodi Arias is another. I watch BBC now for most of my news, and read US news stories (all dependent on Reuters and AP, I know) via Twitter and Huffington Post when necessary. This issue, though, has taken 40 years to develop, and it may take that long before the news business has more respectability than say, a history professor.
Amy, great points, as always. But this is more than about not understanding the role of AP in the fourth estate. Nor is this merely about media literacy. 1. the public doesn't trust the news media these days, as the news business has given them little reason to trust them, especially in the half-decade after 9/11, when many in mainstream journalism sat on their hands while rights were being curtailed (Patriot Acts, anyone?). 2. the news media and the public are in a negative symbiotic relationship, where one feeds the other candy corn news while the other eats it, expecting nothing more substantial. Last week's series of non-scandal scandals (the AP issue aside, of course) is one example. The wall-to-wall coverage of Jodi Arias is another.
ReplyDeleteI watch BBC now for most of my news, and read US news stories (all dependent on Reuters and AP, I know) via Twitter and Huffington Post when necessary. This issue, though, has taken 40 years to develop, and it may take that long before the news business has more respectability than say, a history professor.