I don't watch the news on television anymore, not even the PBS Newshour. When I watch Katie Couric, Charles Gibson, Brian Williams... even Jim Lehrer or Gwen Ifill (sometimes but not often), I get irritated.
I feel like I am watching talking heads from another planet discuss how they discuss whatever they feel like discussing. The planet itself is a complex, elegant and astonishing place, but the heads boil it down to a plastic pink bag abandoned in the middle of all of this elegance.
"Wow, look at that pink diaper bag!
"It sure is pink."
"Tell me, Mr. Diaper Bag expert, is pink a safe or toxic color to carry around and what are your opinions about how I report my opinions on this issue?"
"Please, sir. May I have more?"
I guess I've had enough "discussions" about pedophile priests, the sex lives of the rich/famous/congress, gangs, drugs, blah, blah, blah. Let's get anal and examine whatever poop we can scoop from the dregs of the AP or CNN.
We live in a complex, elegant, violent, strange and wonderful world and it's getting smaller. I feel more connected to the BBC news than any US news agency. At least by watching the BBC, I can learn more about Africa, Europe, Russia and South America. I am curious about world cultures, conflicts, economies, developments and can find some useful info on BBC and the internet. If I spoke Spanish or any other language, I am sure I'd get a rude awakening and a deeper appreciation of how the other 99.9% lives.
The only time I get a hint of how the other side lives is when mainstream media reports on itself. A perfect example is a recent PBS report on Al-Hurra, a US State Department television show aimed at the Middle East which is... "surprise" ... not a success in the Middle East! During the discussions, I was able to hear a few truthful words about what the Iraqis, Saudis, Egyptians....(you get the picture) think about the US propaganda machine. It was like someone opened up the pink plastic diaper bag and let a whiff of fresh air inside.
As much as I liked this mildly refreshing debate on the NewsHour, I am still swearing off (literally) mainstream media news. The narcissistic news reporting approach sucks. I don't care if Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict, or Don Imus is a racist, or whether Katie Couric can cut it and neither does the rest of the world, imho. Why can't the media stuff their boring and obnoxious frailties and flaws inside that pink diaper bag and give the rest of us news *gasp* about real issues that affect us and the real world in which we live.
