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**JJS[_2_]**

In article ,
wrote:

On Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:01:34 GMT, PaPaPeng wrote:

CNN? Pshaw. Its
going down the drain in the direction of FOX News. Its all about
advertising revenues and not offending those who pay the bills,
objectivity be damned.

The thought just crossed my mind. Its not about greed chasing the
almighty (ads) dollar. It is about desperation. The Internet is
indeed an instrument that freed mankind from the bonds of many old
conventions. People get their information from the Internet these days
- very current, free, uncensored, in any color or form, etc. though
often lacking in depth.

True and it is a shame that the Chinese don't have this "uncensored"
access to the internet wouldn't you say? ;^)

The unintended consequence is nobody reads
newspapers anymore. Print media is dying. So is broadcast news.

Broadcast news is simply moving to the internet. Same
people different playing field.

These are very high cost establishments chasing ever decreasing
advertising dollars. Their product has to be as uncontroversial as
possible (aka bland and unoffensive).

The problem with this is that controversy generates interest,
which translates to increase in your audience.

The media has to pander to
popular prejudices when that arises (more advert income or die)rather
than its traditional role to lead and form public opinion.
This has
changed your landscape more than you realize

Several decades ago the News department was not expected to
generate income for the three television networks, ABC,NBC and CBS.
Since these networks were the only show in town they could use
the revenue from their entertainment programs to pay for their
news coverage. This has changed and they now are no longer
immune to the need to generate money. This has changed the
landscape of TV news.

- how come with more than
60 per cent of the people disapproving where the US is heading you
still can't change direction??

Because of the system we have you can't "change directions" without
an election. In the last election the democrats grabbed the legislative
branch of the government but they need the executive branch to
really change things. Of course what change really means is
open to interpretation.

It has also changed the rest of the
world. The white guys aren't that formidable. What they can do
(development in a modern world)we also can.

I know is looks like the Chinese have adopted the "white man's burden".
You know bringing civilization to the less fortunate whether they
want it or not e.g. Tibet.

Joe