The Vast Wasteland of 24-Hour News Channels

glennmac · Oct 19, 2001

This anthrax epidemic makes me sick.

Ever since we have been cursed by multiple 24-hour "news" channels, non-news has expanded to fill almost every broadcast minute available. Repetitively, endlessly, sensationally. Mindless discussions, analyses and special reports on nothing more than non-facts and pure speculation.

12 months of endless OJ. Two years of endless Bubba-sleaze. 12 months of endless Y2K-phobia-mania. Condit. Sharks. Now an endless anthrax "crisis"-- comprised of a grand total of one death.

These channels have completely transformed into soap operas. No, they are worse. They are caricatures of soap operas.

Newton Minow was overly optimisic.

ERNIEB · Oct 19, 2001

With the coathanger I have stuck out the window I can't pick up any 24 hr news. The regular networks are doing a good enough job at beating this subject to death to suit me.
As I was reading this post, I was also watching Ted Kopel talking to Hillary Clinton, about, what else?, Anthrax. Now there is a knowlegable source.

Ernie

DrDan · Oct 19, 2001

After spending 9 years as a broadcast electrical engineer for ABC News - Washington Bureau I became so sick of it I left and went to Vet School and never have had the interest or time to invest in another TV set let alone waste $40 to $80 or whatever it costs to get 150 channels. My advice to you folks is sell the TV - disconnect the cable and start enjoying life a hell of a lot more. In my twice a year times I do stay in a motel and can watch it - it makes me sick with that canned laughter, etc. The "Great American Dream" - Beer, TV and the Old Lady. It's your choice if you want to sit there watching that crap.

Dr Dan

ronjhall · Oct 19, 2001

Glenn
You express my sentiments exactly.

Local news including newspapers is so clouded that local school board was able to sneak a tax assessment through without any resistance. It would not have happened if it had been reported properly.

Who is Newton Minow?

scruffy · Oct 19, 2001

DrDan, I agree with you whole heartedly! With ONE minor deviation, I keep the TV and pay the 40-80 a month for the 150 channels. Why? Keeps the family glued to the TV, and leaves me LOTS of time to do what I want to do!

DocHeb · Oct 19, 2001

One of the few useful headlines that floated under the CNN talking head the other day:

"CDC Says: Thousands will die from Influenze this year - one person has died from anthrax."

I wonder how may anthraxophobic people are ordering their gas masks off the web, while smoking their cigarettes, having a drink to calm down, and being too afraid to go out to their local fast-food burger emporium.

Lets get a grip on some reality here!

scruffy · Oct 19, 2001

If you want a grip on reality, pass that thought to the media. They are veery responsible for the current opinion that everyone in the U.S. is absolutely paralized with fear. Every headline screams about the Fear that grips the U.S. .... bunk. You are always going to have a segment of society that over reacts, but then the news media plays to that, and gets more and more to over react.
Worthless garbage. Like DrDan said, unplug the stupid TV, and get on with LIVING!
Get rid of the solid envelopes and go to a mesh type envelope, see if that sucker will hold any powder in it....now if the envelope makers will just try it out.

bpence · Oct 19, 2001

Just so everyone knows, I opened my own mail today without wearing rubber gloves, and no white powder fell out of anything. I don't know, maybe it did and I just inhaled it all or something. In fact, I flew on an airplane Wednesday and will fly again next Thursday, and again the following week. As far as the news media goes, giving them the anthrax spores only sped up the spinning of the vortex. I'm surprised FOX News hasn't found a way to get into the action yet.

Personally, the events of September 11 were the most horrible imagineable. The behavior of our news media in the name of freedom of speech since then can only be deemed as self-serving, dangerous, despicable, and bordering unpatriotic at times. Maybe someday I'll come out of my shell and tell you how I really feel.

Bob Pence

hayden · Oct 19, 2001

Just turn it off. Works real well.

DrDan · Oct 19, 2001

My sentiments exactly... Just turn the damn thing off or quit complaining. If you sit there with the drool running out of the corner of your jowls and your eyes glued to every bit of horse crap movement on that tube you are doing two things: #1 Wasting time that you could be getting something productive done #2 Giving an "atta boy" to these idiot television producers to keep on doing just what they are doing now

Turn it off and go enjoy ya tractor. It probably needs cleaned up before winter or maybe start a nice woodworking project that will make your home nicer.

As far as being scared - just get a few boxes of shells for the "hog leg" and maybe a box or two for the deer rifle and scatter gun and blow they friggen butts away if they come knocking on the front door. Otherwise just have fun with the tractor till the dog barks...

Dr Dan