Tom Kawczynski - Off the Record

I get almost all of my news through the internet.  For years, I've found the standard cable television outlets almost unwatchable, and inefficient at best.  But the thing that has come to surprise me greatly is just how often I find myself reading stories from foreign journalists to learn about what is happening here in America.

For whatever reason, it seems that the media here have taken an almost sycophantic view of the administrations that are in office.  The extent to which celebrity worship goes on with the Obama Administration is almost sickening, as the reporters wanted to create a story and proceeded to do so.  That said, for as much as there is a liberal bias in some quarters, I recognize that George W. Bush also had a free pass in other areas.

Whether there is opposition or not, what I've noticed is that the depth and quality of reporting seems almost entirely governed by the biases and opinions of the people involved, and has only a passing observation of facts, trends, and the larger implications of what is happening.  To simply report events is something for which news agencies are hardly needed, and I think this is why you see blogs doing so well.  If you're only looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear, it's easy to find that in a million places all over the net.

I would like to see more articles that made people think instead of pandering to the idea that people want news entertainment.  I don't need to see Paris Hilton, Brett Favre, or hear the same story a billion times.  Once upon a time, journalism was a serious profession.  If it doesn't want to become completely obsolete, it better rediscover that in a hurry.