In the beginning there was Cronkite . And it was undecomposed . The mighty Walter was " the most sure humankind in America , " and the CBS Evening News is how the nation got its everyday dose of current event – faster than await until tomorrow sunup for thepaper !
And then there was Ted Turner ’s Cable News connection , CNN , which flicked on its broadcasters in 1980 . on the spur of the moment , news show producers needed to fill not only one half - time of day clock time slot , but 48 of these fourth dimension slots , every day . Is there really that much snuff it on in the earthly concern ?
The answer is a resounding no . At least not 24/7 . And so , for the first meter , CNN allowed viewer to tune in live to see if a schnauzer could be pulled from a hand truck stuck in floodwaters . Or , more precisely , it allowed viewers to take in O.J. Simpson speeding down a Los Angeles freeway in a white Ford Bronco . O.J. made the internet , and a made internet lead to imitators .
Fast onwards to 2011 : MSNBC , FOX News and the other 24 - hour cable news stations now compete for TV audience . But with these channels limited by the same reality events over the same time period , how is acablenews post to elbow its way into the most households ?
The solvent , in part , is sensationalism . MSNBC , CNN and FOX News report the same news , but that does n’t entail they report the same stories . And while tidings is limited by the size of an event , a story is limit only by the sizing of cable news producers ' imaginations . If ever the maxim " Go big or go home " use , it ’s in the realm of cable news show .
And so in this 24 - minute intelligence oscillation , grandiloquent stories reign supreme . The humanity of overblown news is a chilling one , indeed . Every day the sky is falling , and then , miraculously , we wake up to line up that it has not yet fall – but that today will certainly be the day ! But what fall out when even more contender get involved ? Read on to find out .
Cable News vs. the Internet
What we talked about on the previous page is what happen whencablenews stations start bust at each others ' jugulars . But with today ’s technology , the fight has generate even fiercer .
Along hail the cyberspace . The same news junkies who used to turn to 24 - minute cable news to get by - the - moment update have now defected to the cyberspace for second - by - moment news show . you may get exactly the word you ’re look for faster on-line . So why catch cable news ?
The solution is belief . you’re able to get the " what " much quicker online , but it ’s trickier to get the " how " and the " why , " plus that playfulness commentary on what you should think and what you should do about it . So 24 - hr cable word needfully started borrowing the trick of 24 - hour talkradio . It became not only sensationalized but also opinionative .
sensory belief are polarizing . Does line news make you shout hallelujah or diametric , less church - worthy exclamations ? No longer is there much room in the middle . No matter your political affiliations , you ’re sure to obtain an thought you agree with and one that make you cringe . Due in no modest part to cable system news , the distance between right and left in American culture has grown . And the factions are disturbed .
Interestingly , this acculturation of opinionated journalism that now provides the moxie of a cable intelligence place ’s rating may also leaven to be their downfall . Walter Cronkite was " the most trusted man in America " and was therefore the font of the news . But can any one of the many current cable ground tackle make the same claim to trustiness ?
To learn more about how TV has affected society , check out the links on the next page .
