The News Media’s Greatest Myth
Second. If you’re like me, some of what you want isn’t really good for you. Too often, Bay Area news media, particularly TV, take advantage of our weaknesses--our desire to rubberneck, to be amused, our passion for things that don’t really matter-- like sports and television shows (usually those appearing on their network). These news outlets maximize profit, but gnaw on self-government’s weakest leg--our limited willingness to do the work of being informed participants, our desire for diversion.
Finally, notice who is to blame if you accept that the audience gets the news it wants: The consumer, not the corporations producing the news. The myth blames the victim and exonerates the victimizer. It’s elegantly insidious.
Journalism’s core ethic is empowering the citizen. That’s very different from generating the largest audience at the lowest cost.
