Good News

For those who know me well, I am addicted to news. I read news. I watch news. I breath news. I have a inherent need to know what is happening around the country and around the world to the extent that a journalist is willing to write or communicate a story on the internet.

Some of the news sources I tend to follow on a regular basis are MSNBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post. Other sources I follow on occasion are Politico.com, Thehill.com, PBS Frontline, PBS Nova, Now on PBS, Meet the Press. Some sources I follow rarely, infrequently, or accidently run across through search for instance on news.google.com.

The biggest problem with these big news media organizations is the inability to find an opposite side to the story. Unless God Himself communicates the event, there will never be such a thing as objective journalism in this world but I'm confident that news organizations have the capacity to be close to perfect objectivity as they can if they try.

Almost all of these organizations vomit the same stories as if they all had the same author and the funny thing is they sometimes actually do just that. Most of these organizations flock together because they know they cannot miss a story their competitor is chasing after or they will lose viewership and viewership determines advertisement. Advertisement determines profit and profit is necessary because most of these organizations have owners or stockholders who want a return on their investments.

I think I have had enough experience with news that I find some sources as inferior compared to others. If I can imagine a quality news source spectrum, on the one side are those news organizations that are garbage, complete trash; on the other side are those news organizations that are valuable, they are worth reading or watching.

I like news sources that consistently challenges my own views and prejudices. I like news articles or documentaries that dig deep and ask hard questions leading to real facts and answers. I like finishing an article or a video and having the feeling that time was well spent because I learned something new or I've been stretched in my understanding of an issue or story.

I hate news sources that present articles or videos just so they can get viewers. I have little respect for those organizations who sell news because people are itching to hear what they want to hear. They present stories that have no journalistic value other than to get people interested in it. These sources cannot hide the fact that they simply want to make the most profit from selling mediocre news at best.

I also hate editorials sections in news. I know some people find them interesting and all but I personally do not care to read them or feel any value in their purpose. They are articles or videos that express the opinions and views of a person or organization. I do not read or watch news to find out what other people think about the news or issue. I do not need my news to be regurgitated to me as if I am unable to understand what I am reading or watching. Editorials are not news, they are opinions and they belong on blogs like this, not in newspapers.

Today, the New York Times won 5 Pulitzer Prize for excellence in journalism. Awards do not necessarily mean anything to me but it does imply to me that the winner is doing something right. The importance of the freedom of the press and also the quality of the press cannot be overestimated in a democracy like ours in the mist of the insurmountable issues of our time.