Newsworthy Journalism

"The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason."

Hunter S. Thompson, San Francisco Examiner, 1985


What better to bring this quote to life than the killings at Virginia Tech. All one has to do is watch the never-ending parade of "breaking news" on pay-TV's vast selection of 24 hour news channels. As one who has some experience with television news, I can say that this is one reason that I am glad I did not end up working for a news station. The saying holds true for giants such as MSNBC, FOX News, and CNN, just as it holds true for KLTV and the other local news stations.

You are a fool if you think they care about actually reporting anything useful. Ratings drives the entire industry, and if you don't produce, then you're out the door. It doesn't matter how sensational the story may be, if you're watching, that's all that matters. How else do you explain NBC's decision to air the video footage from Cho's "manifesto" (if you can gather enough coherent thought in the thing to call it that), and show pictures of himself wielding the very guns he used to end so many innocent lives. How is this news? Are we more informed citizens now that we have heard the ramblings of a mentally disturbed psycho?

It is irresponsible and pathetic that our standards have fallen so low in this country and evidently, the world. I say the world because I saw the same thing on the BBC and some Spanish language stations.

The fact of the matter is that this media is no longer relevant in the arena of news. Instantaneous news is available on the Internet and cell phones. Technology has changed the way people get their news, and Charles Gibson, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and the talking heads on cable news cannot compete.

So what does one do when confronted with this reality? Well, if you are a TV news producer or reporter, you tap into a human beings natural sense of morbid curiosity. Either that, or you come up with ways to scare people. That works pretty well too.

So who's the winner here?

The only person who can claim victory is Cho, and he's in the fucking ground. He's dead, but he lives on through the airwaves. It's disgusting, and I feel sick even believing it's happening.

Way to go NBC. Way to honor the innocent dead and their living, grieving loved ones.

I hope the extra advertising dollars were worth your integrity.