Tuesday, November 24, 2009

CNN Justice

I read a lot of CNN Justice online. But today my google widget for Top CNN articles threw me this one on the recent pre-election Philippine Massacre.

There's a part in the story noting that at least 12 journalists died in the massacre, according to the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders (a spin-off of Doctors Without Borders). And it shocked me. Not to the point of actual surprise, but more so, that journalists here in the US who have so much freedom, and so many rights, widdle those away with back-talk, opinions and really crap commentary. Being a reporter is a job. Shouting your opinion the loudest is a past-time. I wish that less crap would get through the system before landing on the pages of a magazine or newspaper. So much is taken for granted in this country, and because of that we're going to fall behind. According to Newsweek's recent issue, we already are when it comes to innovation and invention — thanks to our crap school system. There was a lot of merit to the latest Newsweek, but for me, a lot of that credit fell by the wayside when they decided to use a picture of Sarah Palin in short-shorts shot for the June '09 issue of Runner's World on the Newsweek cover. The magazine would never do that to a male political figure, so why the double standard?

I'm not a fan of SP, so my annoyance and argument against using a photo like that should have even more weight. It's just another stick in the spokes, and serves to discredit a publication that for so many years has been on the cutting edge. To quote a friend regarding the publication, "Yeah, it's all commentary now — no news." Perhaps it isn't all solely commentary, but for every bit of true story, there's someone's take on it for another three paragraphs.

And, isn't that just unfortunate?

1 comment:

Laura said...

1. Newsweek has had a running petition for the past couple of months for a journalist being held in Iran. He was recently released on bail in order to be present (I believe in the U.K.) for the birth of his child. However, I don't think he's totally in the free and clear.

2. As much as I dread the day when robots will develop cognitive powers and exterminate us all, I certainly look forward to the days before that when they can deliver the news with no opinion or inflection in their voices. Or speakers, I suppose.