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.

... people want to know what happens ...

September 17,2003

I feel like News stories need to keep reappearing because people want to know what happens during the trial and after. Like the Kobe Bryant story citizens want to be updated on what is going on and whether there will be a trial or not.

... Fox's ridiculous lawsuit ...

September 17,2003

I am a former print and radio journalist both in the US and internationally, and I have to say that I was very disappointed with Flashpoints. You had Bill O' Reilly on and didn't challenge him - and Al Franken's book and Fox's ridiculous lawsuit was mentioned in passing - without discussing why the suit was filed (it was not the use of "Fair and Balanced" - but Franken's ripping O'Reilly to shreds). The report on the PA miners was good; hosting the show from Times Square was pretentious. I turned the show off half-way through when I realized you were doing just another hackneyed job.

... Become A Business ...

September 17,2003

News Reporting Has Become A Business And In Any Business The Focus Is To Keep People Coming Back To People Do Whatever It Takes To Keep People Coming Back We See It Everyday On Television News, Talk Shows, Whatever.

One other point I find people in the public eye like news casters would would excluded themselves as Americans when it comes to reporting the news because they think they're being neutral. If you can't be patriotic as news reporter then don't judge others who aren't patriotic. If you believe that you are neutral then stop writing the news where America doesn't look so bad, when in fact America is worst than what you're reporting.

... too hard to do real research ...

September 17,2003

I think they find it too hard to do real research and reporting on a daily basis, so hang on to the story of the day (usually for far too long).

... lost all sense ...

September 17,2003

The media, especially the cable news networks, seem to have lost all sense of proportion and decency when it comes to reporting news. They pander to our basest instincts, the ones that make us create huge traffic bottlenecks to view a grisley accident scene, the ones that make us want to view the terrible pain and misery of others with no real concern for the feelings of the injured parties. There used to be a distinction between salacious tabloids and reputable and news reporting that no longer exists. I cannot bear to watch the cable news channels with their superficial personalities nor can I bear to watch local newscasters who smile and preen while delivering both bad news and puff peices emphasizing yet again personality over content. I watch the news on PBS which presents both sides of each issue in some depth. I don't know what I would do without PBS and NPR. ABB, NBC and CBS still seem to be trying to maintain line between personality and content but how
long can they last?

... idle speculation ...

September 17,2003

I'm bothered by the time devoted to idle speculation instead of reporting.

... very frustrating ...

September 17,2003

It is very frustrating to make responsible decisions based on the way news is fed to the public. I feel much of it is very biased trying to convince me to believe their way. I am pro-life. When pro-life news is given it is with a negative tone. Coverage is never given to the many community programs providing support who choose life.

... too lazy ...

September 17,2003

The news media is too lazy to get the facts. I compare our fast-food news to that industry - it's junk. They get big salaries for what? They are owned by the corporations and government. The only news person that don't soft-pedal on the issues is Tim Russett when conducting interviews. The news people are so darn polite to these polititicians and corporate crooks, it makes me want to puke!! I refuse to watch these clowns who are not worth their salaries!!!

... self-important ...

September 17,2003

Even this episode tried to dictate how we the public view the media and the stories they cover. Its, for lack of a better comparison, like the old Jedi mind trick. They tell us that these stories wouldn't be so ravenously covered if we didn't turn in to watch them so much. What they fail to recognize or claim responsibility for is that they give us little or no choice on these matters. We watch what they report not because we so shamelessly want more and more of these stories but because they provide us with nothing else to listen to, to watch, or to read. The media has become to self-important and hides their reporting habits continuously behind the statement "the people have a right to know". While this may be true, what the media needs to recognize are the growing public sentiments of "Do the people care to know about Kobe and Laci? Not really." or "Is this the best that the media can come up with to report on? It would sadly seem so."

... shocked to see that PBS ...

September 17,2003

I was shocked to see that PBS programming has come to see individuals like O'Rielly and organizations like the Washington Times as legitimate. It is obvious that PBS suffers from the same problems as most of the media today, that being the inability to do real journalism. Your program on the mass media was a disgrace.