Whatever small amount of respectability, credibility and trust “broadcast/cable/whatever platform we can find to broadcast news on these days because we have to reach that all important male youth demo that doesn’t know we exist anymore” television had remaining before the 2024 Presidential election, it’s all been tossed right out the high-story windows and landed on the ground with a resounding thud.
We have the side that is overjoyed with the Donald Trump victory, taking victory laps while naturally avoiding any negative news value that might jeopardize their ability to get a phoned-in sound bite from the returning overlord. No shock there whatsoever because when it comes to honest news value, all you have to do is scream the words “SMARTMATIC” or “DOMINION SYSTEMS” at them and watch as their appendages draw into their bodies creating a small round ball that hightails it into a dark crevice somewhere with all speed.
On the other side we have the waffling jellyfish who realize they better straighten up and get in line before Trump has them all consigned to what is the American Siberia somewhere in Mississippi, or behind the local Mar-A-Lago McDonalds where the drive-thru always has a steaming greasy sack of cheeseberders ready for pickup whenever acolytes are staying over in the guest quarters.
Seriously, we haven’t seen such concentrated media butt-snogging since Roseann Barr tried to explain that she wasn’t spitting after deconstructing the National Anthem, she was only clearing her throat from remnants of the 14 hot dogs she ingested as a “light snack” moments before taking the field in San Diego.
Over on CNN, which at the rate they’re cutting staff due to stunningly bad management they’ll be replacing Wolf Blitzer any day now with an AI version of Ted Baxter, (which strangely enough most people wouldn’t notice the difference), Dana Bash took a harpoon to her media cred that will long be taught as how not to note the obvious. She and guests were watching Nazis marching in Ohio in yet another obvious terrorist act against anyone and everyone of the Jewish faith, and her reaction, without any tinge of sarcasm, was that, “We don’t know what side of the aisle this comes from”. No doubt someone corralled Bash after the show and hinted she may want to brush up what happened in 1930’s Germany and what we’ve seen and heard from certain American politicians and broadcast hacks over the last several months.
But the lingering stench of rump-rubbing goes to the husband-wife duo of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who faced with another round of cratering ratings on their morning MSNBC partisan punditry, made the trip to Mar-A-Lago to embrace their great friend and newly found selfie buddy, Donny, in order to start a new era of cooperation, hand-holding, cheek to cheek apologizing, and private groveling to not have them host a weekly live shot at the aforementioned Mickey D’s.
Joe would, naturally, prefer we not mention that back in April 2024, when both he, Mika, and the reprehensible con artist Al “I never met Tawana Brawley” Sharpton all were having a grand time on set of their pulsating echo chamber, as Joe screeched there would be no “meeting in the middle with Donald Trump”. Obviously, there was no meeting in the middle during their smoochy Florida gathering, as the delineation of who was North and who was South seems fairly obvious.
It didn’t take long for what remains of a withering audience on MSNBC to call for both Joe and Mika to be fired, reins of the show handed over to the likable and extremely professional Willie Geist, and give Reverend Al the pink slip even his dietician would approve. Joe and Mika wasted no time in hocking a nice sized NYC loogie on their alleged journalism chops, proving they are more than happy to roll over and slobber for their supper so as not be be forced to actually work together in the same building. Let's not be forced to endure having to argue about Joe’s desire for a personalized golf cart for his next palatial estate on either the Mar-A-Lago grounds or somewhere roaming the streets of The Villages.
Oh, these are dark times for what used to be a proud and reputable craft.
If television news, both local and national, wants to rebuild public trust after the 2024 election, it’s going to need a complete overhaul. Let’s face it: this year was a disaster in media accountability. The problem? These networks, whether leaning left, right, or teetering somewhere in between, have fully embraced the art of pandering. Instead of journalism, we get a circus of opinion-laden shouting matches and endless panel shows, each pushing whatever version of “truth” fits their narrative.
Facts? Critical thinking? Surely you jest. That doesn’t make for clickable, shareable content. Where’s the fun? Where’s the contrived controversy? Where’s Pete Hegseth, for crying out loud???
Why is it that every election season brings the same predictable faces to our screens? The so-called “analysts” who, with zero evidence, make outrageous claims meant to rile up emotions. sell books, and get them another nice per-Diem for taking center stage with nothing but babble and bluster. Even as they spin baseless accusations or petty insults, viewers absorb it all, as if these talking heads are actually informed rather than just blathering what the research says the easily amused want to hear.
These panels—no wait, let’s be real, they’re hardly panels; more like an organized yelling competition—feed people exactly what they want to hear, reinforcing their pre-existing beliefs. If one side screams, “Fraud!” and the other counters with, “End of democracy!” then news networks know they’ve captured your attention. But where’s the investigation? Where’s the depth?
Where’s the virtual squirt gun we can at the very least interrupt them with?
Don’t get me started on local broadcast news.
Oh, the Hell with it. Let’s dive in. This has been a cluster disaster since before the election, and is already little more than a relic of past successes.
The giggle-fest of local news offers even less substance. They’re content to fill airtime with weather updates every ten minutes and “soft” features on dog adoptions or the latest food trends. This fluff creates a trust vacuum that sucks the brains out of viewers and leaves them as empty-headed as the editorial direction of these faux “news” efforts.
It seriously wasn’t all that long ago that people relied on local news to cover their communities. Shocker! Real News! But now, thanks to surrendering their ethics and reputation for cutesy bobble headed “behind the scene” TikTok videos, serious stories such as inequity, housing crises, local government failures, they’re are drowned in stories about the latest pop-up festival or someone building the same damn holiday sand castle on the beach that is there every single year without fail and just waits for some boorish band of kids to render it asunder. It’s no wonder trust in local news is eroding. When real issues are neglected in favor of trivial content, audiences are left feeling either abandoned (smart people) or entertained (mindless wanderers).
Of course, the media’s love affair with knee-jerk reactions only adds fuel to the fire. Legacy networks want emotional, visceral reactions. Don Henley stated it best in the classic “Dirty Laundry” with the line, “Did they film the operation? Is the head dead yet?” They want you furious, riled up, and ready to tweet your outrage.
Even better, record that outrage on video and send it in so they can use it as “content” and take up space without having to throw a live camera to Tweedle-Dum standing outside the yellow tape with absolutely nothing of substance to say.
They have perfected the art of crafting “teaser” headlines that grab, usually somewhere around the waistline. Instead of making people think critically, these outlets want viewers to hustle on over to their Facebook page and give them a critical assessment of the latest “Community Hero”, which makes for a wonderful time-filling of 2-3 minutes they can take from sports, which has been rendered useless by networks and smartphone apps.
Take the incessant panel debates. Please.
Hours of trivial riveting analysis about candidates’ body language, what they wore, “who looked stronger”, who lied more effectively, and who avoided having that second doughnut at the campaign stop, rather than discussing their actual policies. Every second of it crafted to keep viewers as reactive as possible because, after all, that’s what keeps you coming back.
Let’s not forget the Fairness Doctrine, as it rests in peace since its 1987 repeal and Ronald Reagan’s hosing of the unbiased press. It once required broadcasters to present both sides of an issue fairly and was aimed at fostering informed debate. Since then, it’s been a race to the bottom, giving birth to the “commentary masquerading as news” model that we all loathe today. The Fairness Doctrine’s demise allowed one-sided political commentary to dominate the airwaves, creating an environment ripe for opinion-drenched news that serves specific agendas. Now, viewers can get a steady stream of confirmation bias, completely unfiltered and often completely full of bovine excrement.
What’s especially maddening is that the more media lose credibility, the more they double down on sensationalism. Rather than reinvest in investigative journalism, they try to salvage ratings by turning news into entertainment. Investigative reporters are now a rarity, with resources redirected to cover flashier stories instead of digging deep into systemic issues. What happened to holding leaders accountable? What happened to exposing corruption? It’s as if journalists are too afraid, or too financially motivated, to ask the hard questions anymore. In actuality, it’s both. Either follow the corporate mantra of keeping the viewers giddy, or see how life is out there on the mean streets, Bucky.
So, what does the path forward look like? Here, let me take another Demerol.
Start by putting actual journalism first. Hire investigative reporters instead of just pundits. Ban those all-too-convenient, agenda-driven “panels” and give the airtime to real investigations that involve time, effort, and nuance. Restore credibility by reporting the facts, even when it’s not the “juiciest” angle. Bring back long-form journalism. Give viewers actual information instead of just spoon-feeding them what they already believe.
Which is all little more than a cathartic spleen-cleansing on my part. That’s because it will never happen. We’ve gone too far down the rabbit hole, and large media conglomerates cashing fat checks while eviscerating staffs to a bare bone is how most of the news media exists. Personally, I’m still glad “60 Minutes” and a few other outlets still exist for real news, real journalism, and real facts.
Network news could also resist the temptation to deliver stories solely to confirm viewer biases. Real news challenges us, makes us uncomfortable, and encourages us to think.
It’s high time broadcasters remember their duty is to inform, not to inflame, and not to be the new iteration of Bozo. They should be inspiring debate that fosters understanding, not the divisiveness that’s tearing the country apart.
Now, I’ll head out and tend to my lawn.
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