As bad as CNN is...

[Orrex]

Their iReports and Twitter updates are even worse. These little slices of life are supposed to give us the opinions of the Everywoman and Everyman, but what they actually do is eat up airtime so that CNN has to do even less reporting between commercial breaks, and to be honest I wouldn't have thought that was possible.

Hey, CNN! Here's a suggestion: rather than finding a "real" person to tell us what he or she is thinking and feeling in real-time, why don't you report some actual fucking news instead, and let us do our thinking and feeling for ourselves?

Of course, that would require CNN to pay for actual reporters, and it might chip away at their budget for grooming Blitzer's beard.


While I'm at it, get rid of that stupid "magic wall," too.

[ogneopasno]

1. I've been saying something kinda like that about NPR and newspaper reporting for years. I don't give

a shit what the man on the street things about politics, the economy, or pretty much anything else that's going on. I can ask my neighbors and family what they think. I want news organizations to give me what I can't get for myself -- access to experts, insiders, newsmakers and kingmakers. Otherwise, the news organization is irrelevant to me.

[Orrex]

4. I hadn't really thought about NPR that way, but you're right

The (minor) difference is that NPR sometimes manages to run 15-minute pieces on events of actual importance, though you're entirely correct that they devote too much time to person-on-the-street opinion-polling.

Who the hell cares? The jackass that they get in front of the mic is probably even less informed than I am, which is the last thing I need!

[ogneopasno]

7. You're right -- the long, magazine-style reporting from NPR is generally pretty good.

I just remember during the 2004 election cycle listening to a piece on "undecideds" at a cafe somewhere, full of comments like, "Well, I'm not too happy with Bush, but I'm against abortion, so I can't vote for Kerry and I don't know what to do." And I was thinking, wait, now, this is news? THIS is news? THIS is stupid! Roundtables can be one of the most useful, interesting types of reporting, and it can also be the laziest, most useless types as well -- more often, now, it is the latter.

[Orrex]

8. Aaargh! You just reminded me!

Twice within six months during the 2004 election cycle, NPR ran two different pieces about (wait for it) flip-flops!

Ha ha ha.


Get it?

See, there's a faux-shoe known as a flip-flop, so wouldn't it be just hysterical to waste some airtime exploring the fashion implications of these ubiquitous wannabe sandals? You know, because Kerry is accused of flip-flopping. ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!

Of course, they spent little time pointing out that Kerry's "flip-flops" are only flip-flops if viewed out of context and through the lens of Conservative soundbytes.

And this is NPR, supposedly the worst of the worst of The Liberal Media. :wtf:

[ogneopasno]

10. That's EXACTLY what NPR likes to do! OMG, I never heard those stories but I can imagine them.

They always tried to be "above" it but got all cute about it instead of actually covering the issue. I'm expecting a bit on the implications of bare arms in fashion, instead of a bit on why people feel the need to tear down the First Lady (no matter who it is) as a way to discredit the sitting president.

[Jokerman]

2. Anything but the news.

One of our local stations recently ran a "special report" about the funny and kooky things news anchors do during the commercials.

I have to turn it on every once in a while just to remind me why it's such a colossal waste of time.

[Orrex]

5. Yesterday CNN ran a spot about some super-genius highschool student

Lightning calculator, phenomenal reading retention, and extraordinary language skills. The piece was only about three minutes, and at the end they chuckled and pointed out that the genius' name is an anagram for April Fools.

I saw this piece on the air at least three separate times, and that was just from random samplings throughout the day.

[hendo]

9. I'm not sure that i like that commentary on highschool students

I wonder if they have ever stopped to realize that they are part of the problem.

[hendo]

3. but finding news is SOOOO HARD!!!!

it would require actual work.

[Orrex]

6. And if finding the news weren't hard enough...

they actually might be called upon to give informed, objective commentary on it. The horror!