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Tophat665 · 03-26-2004, 04:50 AM

Damnit, IP, how come you have to go and write something that I agree with?

Here's the problem: how to reverse the trend? Given that it seems to me that most people want from their news programs principally to have their preexisiting opinions reinforced, how does one market in depth news. How does one convince people that taking the time to have an informed opinion is worth it? Given that in this day and age there are realy only three ways to get attention: through drive time radio, prime time television, and web pages that show high on Google or link from major, name recognized news outlets (ABC, CNN, Fox, washingtonpost), and that the only way to get into one of thoe categories is to convince advertisers that you will provide more eyeballs, and that the only way to do that is to appear vapidly entertaining, how does one create a real analysis?

It seems to me that the only way to do this is to be sneaky or humorous. Or, one can try to grab a late night crowd by being extremely controversial.

So I have two ideas:
1) A show called "The Answer" that takes a current event and proposes to solve it through ludicrous means (let's turn the Middle East into an Ice Skating Rink), and then goes on to explain the situation in depth and with complete candor, and relate it all back to that solution.

2) A reality TV show that mocks the contestants lack of understanding of the issues in such a way as to provide the viewer with a rounded view of the issues.

I would say that either should be hosted by a complete right wingnut, a total bleeding heart pinko, and a guest commentator who really understands the issue.

Now, you really are advocating a more literate public, and that requires more education, which requires a culture change away from a certain anti-intellecualism that has been embedded in this country since the No-Nothing party of the early 19th century. One of the current parties (guitly of oversimplification myself here) basically wants to privatize education, and one of them wants to keep throwing money at it until it sticks. Obviously (to me, anyway) neither of those approaches is worth a bean. How to fix it?

More questions than answers, and my two year old just woke up, so time to go.

03-26-2004, 04:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tophat665 Minion of the scaléd ones Location: Northeast Jesusland	Damnit, IP, how come you have to go and write something that I agree with? Here's the problem: how to reverse the trend? Given that it seems to me that most people want from their news programs principally to have their preexisiting opinions reinforced, how does one market in depth news. How does one convince people that taking the time to have an informed opinion is worth it? Given that in this day and age there are realy only three ways to get attention: through drive time radio, prime time television, and web pages that show high on Google or link from major, name recognized news outlets (ABC, CNN, Fox, washingtonpost), and that the only way to get into one of thoe categories is to convince advertisers that you will provide more eyeballs, and that the only way to do that is to appear vapidly entertaining, how does one create a real analysis? It seems to me that the only way to do this is to be sneaky or humorous. Or, one can try to grab a late night crowd by being extremely controversial. So I have two ideas: 1) A show called "The Answer" that takes a current event and proposes to solve it through ludicrous means (let's turn the Middle East into an Ice Skating Rink), and then goes on to explain the situation in depth and with complete candor, and relate it all back to that solution. 2) A reality TV show that mocks the contestants lack of understanding of the issues in such a way as to provide the viewer with a rounded view of the issues. I would say that either should be hosted by a complete right wingnut, a total bleeding heart pinko, and a guest commentator who really understands the issue. Now, you really are advocating a more literate public, and that requires more education, which requires a culture change away from a certain anti-intellecualism that has been embedded in this country since the No-Nothing party of the early 19th century. One of the current parties (guitly of oversimplification myself here) basically wants to privatize education, and one of them wants to keep throwing money at it until it sticks. Obviously (to me, anyway) neither of those approaches is worth a bean. How to fix it? More questions than answers, and my two year old just woke up, so time to go. __________________ Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.