CNN
No matter your opinion on current media trends, it's hard to deny that opinions in the news have become increasingly polarized. From Keith Olbermann to Glenn Bleck, today's media is marked by strong personalities, outlandish statements, and serious convictions. Of all the top cable news stations, one has stayed out of the mudslinging game to a certain extent: CNN.
Which isn't to say the CNN is a perfect channel by any means. Their far-too-often forays into 'infotainment' and sensationalist tendencies certainly do them no favors, but CNN is definitely the farthest away from partisan programing.
However, now CNN's viewership has been almost cut in half. At ten o'clock, a rerun of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' is beating the live CNN programing. The previously aloofly unpartisan channel has seem to finally fallen to its more polarizing counterparts. CNN executives are now discussing bringing on more outrageously oversized personalities in order to compete with MSNBC and Fox.
What does this mean for cable news? Well, cable news is certainly falling farther into the trap of giving consumers what they want rather than what they need. People like to hear talking heads reiterate their own opinions; they like to feel authenticated.
While the imminent opinion inflation on CNN's airwaves may be the best way to ensure higher viewership, it is not the most responsible way. As a major provider of information to Americans, it is the responsibility of CNN to report relevant and important stories in an impartial manner, and to present as many views as possible, at least if they continue to claim to do so.
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Which isn't to say the CNN is a perfect channel by any means. Their far-too-often forays into 'infotainment' and sensationalist tendencies certainly do them no favors, but CNN is definitely the farthest away from partisan programing.
However, now CNN's viewership has been almost cut in half. At ten o'clock, a rerun of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' is beating the live CNN programing. The previously aloofly unpartisan channel has seem to finally fallen to its more polarizing counterparts. CNN executives are now discussing bringing on more outrageously oversized personalities in order to compete with MSNBC and Fox.
What does this mean for cable news? Well, cable news is certainly falling farther into the trap of giving consumers what they want rather than what they need. People like to hear talking heads reiterate their own opinions; they like to feel authenticated.
While the imminent opinion inflation on CNN's airwaves may be the best way to ensure higher viewership, it is not the most responsible way. As a major provider of information to Americans, it is the responsibility of CNN to report relevant and important stories in an impartial manner, and to present as many views as possible, at least if they continue to claim to do so.
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