We have received feedback on this issue from people all across America. Review the graph to the left for a quick snapshot of the responses received to date, or read the responses below.

... news hounding ...

September 16,2003

I am extremely tired of over-coverage. The biggest problem I have is that a story gets over-reported (let's say a forest fire). Once the interest is gone on your part, there is no follow-up on YOUR part. That is why I depend on "The Economist" for my news. My God, I can find out what's going on in Canada or South America. More than I ever get from ANY of the networks and those news hounding cable channels. May they all be blown to smithereans. Except Tom Brokaw. Him I like.
I am a somewhat crancky 58-year old. Independent mind and not swayed by the right or the left. The decision, today, by the Senate to rescind the FCC ruling on media ownership was truly in the right spirit of free speech and the FirstAmendment. Can we all recite the name, "William Randoph Hearst." There is just way too much history of media barons trying to control and manipulate public opinion. I hasn't begun with Mr. Murdoch or Fox or CNN. This has been a mass phenom since the days of "yellow journalism" at the turn of the century. The "tabs" are their gift to American "journalism."

I could go on, but won't.

Respectfully yours,

... all about ratings ...

September 16,2003

It's all about ratings, not fair and balanced objectivity. Heck, objectivity is a myth, especially with the ambition-hungry or bleeding-heart journalists. And especially with big-money advertisers putting pressure.

... a laughing stock ...

September 16,2003

In recent years the media in America have become blatantly right-leaning, and, I fear, now simply parrot the war-mongering of a greedy, fraudulent "neo-conservative" administration, led by a semi-literate, illegally appointed president. We are a laughing stock to the wider world.

... blatantly right ...

September 16,2003

In recent years the media in America have become blatantly right-leaning, and, I fear, now simply parrot the war-mongering of a greedy, fraudulent "neo-conservative" administration, led by a semi-literate, illegally appointed president. We are a laughing stock to the wider world.

... I understand ...

September 16,2003

Not that far of, a well known news anchor said "media can only report from one side of the story". I call the whole media just a bias even thogh I understand they have to stay in business.

... need a national response ...

September 16,2003

Yes, I very much agree with this view. We need a national response to this problem from everyone: individual citizens to business, civic and political leaders.

... Too much to sift through ...

September 16,2003

Too much to sift through on tv.
When the O.J. bronco chase came on tv, I was in a rock band in richmond, virginia. We were playing a show at a local bar that night and ended up having to wait an hour to start until O.J. was in custody.
The crowd was only interested in what was on TV.

... media to overlook ...

September 16,2003

Since 9/11/01, nothing can take place that is not put under the scrutiny of whether it was terrorist related or not. The media is trying to instill fear in the self absorbed American surban class. Not only does this comparison make them believe that in depth research on the issue has taken place, when in fact none has, but it allows the media to over look the true status of the state of America's social and economic situation.

With the power outage as well, I found myself distancing myself from all new for days so as to avoid the cheap entertainment that is now called news.

... only get worse ...

September 16,2003

Here's a rant for you:

The news media, and television in general, is a sick industry. There is virtually nothing worth watching on TV with only a very short list of exceptions. Even this particular program is typical of the sort of slap ourselves on the back while denying our essence sort of thing that normally appears on the news. It is true that the majority of the media is far to the left. Furthermore, it is routinely mystified as to why people think so. It's hilarious and sad at the same time. Liberalism is so embedded in the media that it no longer has any sort of self-awarness - it actually believes that it's objective - and it almost always reacts with surprise when it is challenged on that point. Take a look at this program! The focus was on Fox News, the lone conservative stronghold in a field full of leftists, and it gets singled out as being biased! What about ALL THE OTHER NETWORKS?

In general, American popular culture is degenerate as are the darlings it creates. This is not necessarily the fault of the media itself, which as a business produces what sells. The media has no moral compass and no spine just as does not any major corporate enterprise - but the media, especially the news, unlike other industry, gets to dress up in idealistic clothing - it likes to pretend to be on some sort of sacred mission when all it really is up to is selling air and kissing ass.

Our nation has an illness with symptoms that blister the surface of our culture like an outbreak of boils. One of these, the most remarkably ridiculous of these, is the news and its endless sensationalistic virtual persecution of news items that aren't even worth broadcasting once much less the forty-million times they get featured. These stories are never positive and feature the very worst aspects of society and are run over and over and over again to the point at which what you manufacture is apathy. How many times can you beat a person about the head with a story about a murder before the response is "This again? Who cares? Old news!" - These are PEOPLE not news items!

And, of course, this will never end. It will only get worse, and our society will continue to degenerate. It's a vicious cycle, you know. Eventually, the media CREATES behavior by way of saturating the culture with the notion that said behavior is commonplace. Then, worse and worse things happen, which of course the sick bastards in the media report all day and all night, and so on and so forth.

OK, I think SOME of that was on topic. Hmm.

... I don't agree ...

September 16,2003

I don't agree with statement on Flashpoint to the effect that people must really like sensational stories about sordid but trivial events because they do watch them after all. Commercial TV is so glutted with sordid trivia that it's difficult to avoid. If there were an equal amount of solid reporting on consequential public affairs, that's what people would watch.