News: problems, accuracy, fairness, commercialism, entertainment, ratings.
There you have it. Nothing has really changed since the introduction of TV as the omnipresent drug in American and world homes in the 1950s. Only the scale of rampant greed has escalated as the shifting media landscape threatens the older established orders.
My spouse thinks I’m crazy to watch TV news; perhaps I am in accord. At least, I compare as many sources as possible, and never rely solely on the “image-word” instead of the written word. Remember folks, reading is a more contemplative act than watching moving pictures. It “slows” you down by virtue of what it is. Question your reading too. I feel it’s a responsibility of being alive.
TV “frames” things and people rarely question anything outside the “frame” they’ve been handed. People who do not examine are always going to be victimized by others who provide the information. Do you really want to be a victim, someone to whom things “happen”?
Orwell was too small in his vision. 1984 was thirty years ago, and we blithely give away ourselves every day. Privacy? By the way, if you use the phrase “reality television” without irony, you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.
Remember, all news organizations are subsidiaries of much larger corporate interests. While trumpeting their dedication to providing current, accurate information, they are only, repeat, only concerned with their bottom line and the dividends they pay to the shareholders.
And don’t even get me started on processed foods.
© 2014 by Frank Daykin, for Innovative Music Programs
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