There are many so called media outlets that I do wish would simply go away because what they practice bears little resemblance to journalism. In a perfect world, all we would really need are organizations like the Associated Press, UPI or Reuters to cover the state, national and international news in a matter-of-fact type of approach.
Sadly, those companies are not the companies you think they are any longer.
The problem is more severe on the local front - at least in our area of the country. Local newspapers used to fill a significant role within a community but that is no longer true. When merger after acquisition means local newspapers are now more likely controlled by some cooperation six states removed, and the same newspaper places content behind a pay wall AND systematically fails to cover local news that newspaper has failed to fulfill its essentially mission.
It's not that I disagree with your point here Ken, rather the notion of 'supporting' media outlets most likely means your (the consumer's) money ends up with Gannett while at the same time Gannett streamlines the local paper even more toward less local news coverage (if not eliminating it entirely).
Sure, losing local focus has been a consequence of faster, easier, and cheaper communication, among other factors. I’ve never really enjoyed local “news” (which typically wasn’t news, anyway, but rather local social articles, crime activity, some amateurish reporting of local politics). I’ve always tended to focus on national and international news (I even read several foreign news sites regularly, and their perspective is quite different than ours).
I'd love to support a newspaper - does one even exist anymore?
I subscribe to what newspapers have evolved into...their online edition. I’ve always hated newsprint, and I used to read two to three papers daily while in college (for several reasons).
I certainly do not trust 99% of what is currently offered as news.
Trust and lack of belief is our news is certainly part of the disinformation campaign propagated by many. I always tell everyone to confirm anything questionable themselves by reading multiple sources (and sometimes that’s not even enough). We need to solve this issue... and I’m going to stop this paragraph here since we shouldn’t be discussing this topic any further on TUG.
Out of curiosity, may I ask what type of media outlets you subscribe to? Are they more local in nature or nationally based?
The reason I ask this question is that I suspect you live in a much more urban area of the country than I do. A significant portion of my dissatisfaction with the press comes from their abandonment of covering local news.
I’ve subscribed to local (for my city), national and international news sources. I read free and paid sources. Some have much more credibility than others, and I tend to avoid those news sources which are “news” in name only...and I’m referring to those publications which have repeatedly and consistently mislead their audience, posted corrections after the fact (which few read), have “experts” who truly aren’t, etc.
I watched the movie “Good Night, and Good Luck” (from 2005) this week and thought it was a very timely reminder. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly.
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