Having had the cable news IV plugged into my cerebrum since the birth of CNN more than 20 years ago, I have finally pulled the plug, relying now only on broadcast TV channels. A minor factor in my decision was the out-of-control monthly rates for a basic cable package. The principal factor, however, was the depressing, and seemingly irreversible descent of cable news shows into the worst kind of tabloid “journalism”; devoid of substance or thoughtful insight, and presented by a cadre of carnival barkers who wouldn’t know Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite from Paris Hilton. Saddest of all, to me, is the decline of CNN, which used to be the gold standard, now reduced to People Magazine in video form. Last Tuesday, a few days after cutting off my cable service, I watched on a broadcast channel as CNN’s Ed Henry demeaned what was once the honored, and honorable profession of journalism with his infantile attack on President Obama on the subject of AIG bonuses. This confirmed the wisdom of my decision to pull the plug. Henceforth, I’ll get my daily dose of serious journalism from the BBC, NPR, New York Times and a host of left/right/center web services, all of which put the major cable news programs to shame. For comic relief, and as a daily reminder of how blessed I am to be a liberal, I read the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.
Sayonara, CNN.
Unplugging the Cable: Sayonara CNN
March 27, 2009 by rantcaster
I haven’t had cable in about five years, for financial reasons.
I don’t miss it. I agree that the news business has degenerated into people yelling at each other.
Instead of having journalists and investigative reporters who dig up facts, almost all TV news has sunk to the level of reading a press release and then having people yell at each other about it.
“The Obama administration says that 2 plus 2 equals 4. Here to discuss it are Michael Moore and Ann Coulter …”
It’s all NPR, BBC, and online for me, now.
Free at last! I can already feel that my blood pressure is down!