I'm starting a new internship tomorrow. On that note...

Tonight I was reading for Theories of Persuasion (I got in!) and came across some words that aptly express how I feel, more or less, about broadcast news.

"Recent studies suggest that when those in charge of news programming decide which news events to cover and which fraction of the miles of daily videotape to present to the public, they make their decisions, at least in part, on the basis of the entertainment value of their material. Film footage of a flooded metropolis has much more entertainment value than footage of a dam built to prevent such flooding: It is simply not very exciting to see a dam holding back a flood. And yet, the dam may be more important news."

"Such coverage does not present a balanced picture of what is happening in the nation or the world, not because the people who run the news media are evil and trying to manipulate us but simply because they are trying to entertain us."

*Selection from E. Aronson, The social animal (9th Ed)

Is it so wrong that broadcast news is a business? It IS meant to make money. Unfortunately that leaves many stations pandering to the least common denominator...but is it really the least common denominator? Who wants to watch still video of a dam? One of the biggest rules of broadcast is that you usually need to keep the pictures moving, less than five seconds per shot. No signs, no buildings, no dams...for the most part. If a station made a newscast that somehow mirrored a credible newspaper (NY Times, Washington Post, WSJ, etc.) it would probably boring. Lack of video could leave anchors at the desk reading for minutes on end. Other stories wouldn't even be possible because there is no video to show for it. It's so easy for people to criticize broadcast news for being stupid, but what are the solutions? I would really love to know. I want to find an example of a "smart" newscast and then see how many viewers it had and if it'd even be sustainable. If no one watches it, advertisers won't buy commercials and it'd be over so fast. Money beats intellect every day. Maybe broadcast is simply a dying medium. People still watch TV, video is not dying, maybe it'll just be newscasts on the internet.

Thinking, thinking.

Yesterday's problems are already over. I got my schedule figured out and it's good. Our clogged toilet is fixed. And I don't have to steal random linksys internet. I get so grumpy without internet access. It's probably an addiction. The lack of heat in our old house problem is also better. If I stay in my room for hours with the electric heater blowing I can make it 71 degrees. Awesome!

Tomorrow I have 4.5 hours of class and then 8 hours of internship without a break. At this moment I have less time to sleep than I will spend at my internship. And on that note...good night.