FAR FROM FAKE PART 2: IS MONEY GOTTEN FROM RATINGS, OR ARE THEY PAID TO EFFECT POLITICS?

Where is the media falling down and why?

The flow from reporting, to analysis, through commentary to the almost, or outright propagandizing that we now see in outlets like FOXNEWS on the right, and to a lesser extent MSNBC on the left.  These are clearly not the only cases, but are the most obvious. 

What has set MSNBC apart from FOXNEWS, until the last couple of days is the willingness, or allowance to criticize their guy.  It was possible to hear MSNBC comment negatively toward a democrat, whether president or other elected official.  It may not have been exceedingly common, but you were not surprised, or at least were never shocked to hear it.  FOXNEWS on the other hand, until the last couple of days, would never make a comment that implied any critiquing of the Republican Party or for sure the President.  Some of that is changing in the current state of affairs, but it remains to be seen what the motives are for figures like Tucker Carlson and Anne Coulter taking a shot at reality in their talking points.

MSNBC’s nightly line up consists of several commentators who are, for the most part, prodigy of Keith Olberman.  The main anchor show of the evening line up is The Rachel Maddow Show. It’s a good factual cable news program.  Like most of the cable news programs, it is high in commentary.  It’s commentary the person writing this, happens to agree with, by in large.  It is also based on provable facts.  That is to say, that you can trace down the information the information and verify it.  The repetition of the messages is something that takes, for me, the process beyond informing and allowing judgement to trying to change people’s point of view.

Sowing outrage, whether for the right or the left, does not help get people together to work on issues that matter to everyone.  This all being said, agree or not with my opinion on whether or not it is commentary or reporting, we need a balancing weight for the left to counter the propagandizing coming from FOXNEWS.

We need to get back to cover the facts and move on.  Ratings are important, it is how we pay for the news, but focus on ratings has given Donald J. Trump more power that his stature and background should have provided for him.