"Americans turn off and tune out"

[sweetheart]

Americans turn off and tune out

By Richard Lambert

Published: October 31 2006 17:58 | Last updated: October 31 2006 17:58

The traditional news media in the US are in a state of turmoil.
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A few decades ago, you could hardly avoid exposure to the network news or the daily paper. Today, you can find a myriad of other forms of entertainment. There is already evidence that Americans with relatively modest educational attainments are simply tuning out of the news altogether. A quarter of all Americans with a high school education or less take in no news of any kind – online or otherwise – on a typical day.

In an effort to catch their attention, news publishers are becoming more partisan and more strident. The Iraq war has not been a triumph for judicious journalism. The early stages were presented as a cross between July 4 and Halloween with flags fluttering, martial music, and no unpleasant images of mayhem and death to disturb the viewer. Some senior reporters were compromised by their unwillingness to challenge the White House line.

In today’s competitive environment, what commercial interest would a news publisher have in seeking to interest a poorly educated and uninterested person in what is happening in the world? And will market forces, left to themselves, be enough to support that vital component of democracy – an informed citizenry?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/fb8dcfce-6905-11db-b4c2-0000779e2340.html

Informative lecture (long) with more beef.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f345f3fe-6901-11db-b4c2-0000779e2340.html