It seems most Americans believe that we're in a unique time in our history. That's not completely correct. I recall history lessons from my younger days that were full of yellow journalism. Sensationalistic newspapers seem to have been the norm from the founding of our country until well into the 20th century. Though I don't have enough scientific evidence to back up my hunch, I suspect that journalism really took a turn toward neutral professionalism around the age of radio, and improved with the advent of television.
I distinctly remember what I would call the golden age of journalism, where Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and countless other reporters would investigate and report facts, counting on the public to discern the truth. The big three television networks (CBS, NBC and ABC) didn't make money from the news. The TV stations considered investigative journalism a civic duty, and the people were able to trust the information they consumed. Then came Fox and CNN.
The concept of a 24/7 news channel was unique, but it had (and still has) a critical flaw. These stations came into being for the purpose of making money. The only way to make money is to keep viewers engaged. The best way to attract and retain interest is through emotions. Fear, anger, outrage, and moral indignation grab our collective attention and keep it such a manner that it's difficult to disengage once you're pulled in. As a result, sensationalistic reporting returned to prominence.
I do believe there are a couple of noteworthy differences in today's society. We have a world of data at our fingertips, and it's easy to fall prey to the constant barrage of information, which can easily lead to a virtually constant state of fight or flight. This, in turn, can reduce the brain's analytical ability, and a vicious cycle results. It's also easy to fall into an echo chamber, where your existing biases are confirmed and alternate possibilities are ridiculed.
Unfortunately, I don't see an easy way out of this. It seems that we collectively enjoy being outraged and tribal. It's the one thing that we have in common. Our partisan bickering is nothing new. The only thing that's really changed is how efficient we've become at doing it, and how effectively the media leverages that into increased profits.
1 comment:
Truth!! I call it Sideshow Sensationalism. And unfortunately, the largest percentage of the world population doesn't have the common sense to look at data from other sources, they just blindly accept the one thing they have read on their favorite media platform as the gospel truth of the matter. I do miss the days of Walter, Dan, and Peter.... and Paul Harvey- who always had "The Rest of The Story" for us!!!
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