Yesterday's News
The U.S. media is quite a curious creature. Whether it is a major news network like CNN or MSNBC or one of the local outlets, American media tries to up the ante on itself on a daily basis. Everything is 'Breaking News' or a 'Developing Story'. From the latest high speed chase to Obama having a cheese sandwich for lunch. Oh, and it needs to be pointed out if he is wearing his flag pin, while eating that sandwich, cuz if not, you know what that means!
The main media-idiom I struggle with, is the equal importance that is given to 'true' news story like the bill that was passed in Congress or the uprisings in the Middle East but also the wacky 'news' story of Charlie Sheen's implosion of his career. One effects us all directly, the other only marginally - if at all.
The 24-hour news cycle can be overwhelming. I moved here ten days after 9/11. You had to forklift me off the couch to get me away from the TV - because if I was going to die, I needed to know. And they made it sound like as if we were all going to kick the bucket at any minute. So stock up on plastic sheets, tape and gas masks! Why? You'll find out after these messages. Rats! I had to stay in front of the TV.
But it's not all bad news about the media. Not so long ago, the LIVE broadcast of the tsunami following an 9.0 earthquake in Japan was one of the most captivating news pieces I had ever seen. We usually only get to see the aftermath of a catastrophe but this time, we could see the events unfold right before our very eyes. The devastation was unreal. Seeing people try to run or drive away from the big wave and not being successful was heartbreaking. The live coverage definitely made me donate to the Red Cross faster.
However, only a few days after the disaster, the news was no longer news. A new story took it's place. Sure, there is a mention here or there about the potential radiation coming to our side of the world. But since all Iodine pills are already sold out, why bother, right? The U.S. media can be utterly confusing about what is important. You have to form your own opinion. But it's so much easier, if someone tells you what opinion you should have, isn't it? And watching Charlie Sheen have a public meltdown is so much easier to process than pondering about the effects of a meltdown at a Japanese nuclear reactor. Am I right people? Winning!!
The main media-idiom I struggle with, is the equal importance that is given to 'true' news story like the bill that was passed in Congress or the uprisings in the Middle East but also the wacky 'news' story of Charlie Sheen's implosion of his career. One effects us all directly, the other only marginally - if at all.
The 24-hour news cycle can be overwhelming. I moved here ten days after 9/11. You had to forklift me off the couch to get me away from the TV - because if I was going to die, I needed to know. And they made it sound like as if we were all going to kick the bucket at any minute. So stock up on plastic sheets, tape and gas masks! Why? You'll find out after these messages. Rats! I had to stay in front of the TV.
But it's not all bad news about the media. Not so long ago, the LIVE broadcast of the tsunami following an 9.0 earthquake in Japan was one of the most captivating news pieces I had ever seen. We usually only get to see the aftermath of a catastrophe but this time, we could see the events unfold right before our very eyes. The devastation was unreal. Seeing people try to run or drive away from the big wave and not being successful was heartbreaking. The live coverage definitely made me donate to the Red Cross faster.
However, only a few days after the disaster, the news was no longer news. A new story took it's place. Sure, there is a mention here or there about the potential radiation coming to our side of the world. But since all Iodine pills are already sold out, why bother, right? The U.S. media can be utterly confusing about what is important. You have to form your own opinion. But it's so much easier, if someone tells you what opinion you should have, isn't it? And watching Charlie Sheen have a public meltdown is so much easier to process than pondering about the effects of a meltdown at a Japanese nuclear reactor. Am I right people? Winning!!
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