I'm from Newtown, and I have something to say to the world:

[SoCalDem]

24. The ghoulish feeding frenzy of the media..

SoCalDem (98,601 posts)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021992962

The ghoulish feeding frenzy of the media..

Last edited Sat Dec 15, 2012, 01:21 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)


So eager are they (every one of them) for the "scoop"...the "talking point", that they glomb onto EVERY utterance, no matter how unsourced, inaccurate, or fantastical, that they turn almost every unfolding event into a gigantic misinformation-fest.

Somewhere, Walter Cronkite is spinning in his grave.

As incestuous as media has become, it surely would not be all that difficult to write (re-write) some sort of code-of-conduct that prohibits on-air/in-print reporting of UNVERIFIED information.

It's so totally irresponsible to rush to a camera and then proceed to spew non-facts (even if they are inclusive of the typical "sources say".."we are told"..."this is not confirmed but"..etc).

People tune in and out, and flip channels, and many people BELIEVE what they see/hear/read, and it's like the conundrum of "un-ringing the bell".

These same people will go forth and reiterate "what they heard", and mass confusion ensues.

What would be the harm of simply reporting that :

A. something happened
B. this is where it happened
C. there is little specific information yet
D. the families of the people involved have been informed

I know it's not going to engender prolonged network face-time, but it would surely be refreshing to know the details BEFORE going in front of cameras, and just vomiting up non-facts, innuendo & tall-tales.

Two weeks from now, not many people will be tuning in to find out the facts, and by then they will have probably had numerous opportunities to eagerly tell others "what they heard".

It would be so nice to have media as a source of information, instead of an endless game of "telephone", where paid experts on whatever the "drama-ju-jour" happens to be, are dusted off and trotted out to "explain" it to us all.

We careen from sketchy information, on to often ridiculous speculation, then to "debate/discussion/explanation" of the "experts", to more of the same...and then weeks later, someone states the facts, usually too late for any real impact, because "the next one" has happened again...and the media is off on a new frenzy before they have cleaned up their previous mess.

Since most of these events are accompanied by locals officials and law enforcement, perhaps that would be a place to start. Everyone tunes in to see them, and their coverage is usually live. Perhaps their spokesperson could start every press conference with a disclaimer:


"The breathless reporting on this event will be INACCURATE and totally speculative until the investigation is done, so do not necessarily believe ANYTHING you may hear as these reporters lay it all out for you."