Back in the '90s, during the Gulf War, the 24-hour news cycle was a new addition to cable TV and a novelty to the American public. Viewers were gripped by the action, in awe of seeing events happening a world away in real time. Before we were holding tiny computers in our hands, the 24-hour news cycle was the hottest thing on the cable market.
But when was the last time you spent more than 20 minutes glued to CNN? Who does the 24-hour news cycle benefit now?
As the options on our Dish Network channel listings grow, the competition for viewer ratings between networks has become desperate and fierce. A proportionately large amount of viewers have cancelled their cable packages, turning to high-quality, commercial-less options like HBO, Starz, and Netflix.
Amongst the remaining viewers of cable TV, who has time for the news?
In the age of instant gratification and shortened attention spans, the internet does most of our live reporting in short headlines flashed across the iPhone lock screen. Personally, I gather my world and national news from a collection of news apps, primary source comment threads online, and daily emails from theSkimm (shout out to my beloved BBC and Reddit's /r/worldnews).The millennial generation, so addicted to their phones and social media, has no use for news in a television format.
In response to the steady fall in ratings and viewers, cable news has filled their programming with vitriolic talk shows and polarized hogwash. Within the last 20 years, polarization between the two parties has significantly increased among voters. Political media creates program content that enables this dangerous trend, withholding objective and intelligent journalism from impressionable viewers.
Fox News and MSNBC have both created a positive feedback loop for extreme opinions in their respective political ideologies. They both reinforce their own political viewpoint, sticking to stories that please viewer ratings and hosting talking panels without the presence of an opposing viewpoint. This isn't news.
To be fair, television news and editorial journalism have struggled to be 100 percent objective for decades. Yellow journalism plagued the papers of the early 1900s, and historical accounts from primary sources are always looked at with a skeptical eye. But I thought we had moved past blatantly lying and embellishing to the public. Instead, I am forced to read several articles from different publishers regarding the same event in order to get a clear picture of the real story.
From my perspective, a majority of Americans would prefer to be comfortably moderate on the political spectrum. I for one sit "center right" -- my views on social issues lean liberal, but I hold individual freedoms and a conservative fiscal policy in high regard. My (moderate and reasonable) viewpoint is not represented by the media.
MSNBC constantly chooses spend on-air time race-baiting the Republican Party, or doing their fair share to slander female politicians (despite their dedication to feminism). On Fox News, we get embarrassing confusion over global climate change and a constant parade of fear mongering regarding Big Brother government's desire to steal our guns.
Meanwhile, I have friends who can't find Syria on a world map and too many Americans don't remember why we celebrate the 4th of July.
I realize part of the blame can be placed on the shoulders of America's public education system and the intelligence of our constituents. But in the midst of Democrat/Republican bashing and wasted airtime debating the color of a dress, when does the United States hear about the rest of the world? When did we stop reporting news and start chasing ratings?
I think the 24-hour news cycle is obsolete. Give me editorial, investigative journalism. Give me thoughtful live news during a natural disaster or a terrorist attack without the witch hunts and inaccurate reporting. Give me the elegance and reliability of Walter Cronkite.
I am done with Fox talking heads and a barrage of CNN "live updates." Give me the news.
