Chad Williams
cmwillians3110@gmail.com
To say that I gave up on all news is somewhat inaccurate. However, I have given up on more than a majority of the news, and I am not alone.
When I was younger, probably beginning around middle school, I was starting to create an obsession with information and the news. Being that this was in the late 80s, for me, the news was limited to television and radio broadcasts and print media.
The television news broadcasts I had access to were limited to the three main broadcasting companies at the time; ABC, NBC, and CBS. I was lucky to live high enough up that I could pick up Columbus, Ohio, television stations or I would have just been limited to the local NBC affiliate.
The print media availability was to the local nearby town newspaper, but what I really enjoyed was the USA Today newspaper. At that time, the USA Today Newspaper was much different than the local newspapers. The USA Today was full of color and graphics and had in-depth articles on topics I enjoyed.
The only issue was the USA Today was only available if I went into town usually at McDonalds. My grandparents introduced me to the U.S. News and World Report. It was much like the USA Today in appearance and in topics such as politics, government, world affairs and the military.
Once the internet and more specifically smartphones became common place, my infatuation with the news media was permitted to blossom into obsession. Now, on my phone, are the apps of every news agency I could ever possibly want to access and I have them all. It is a dream come true and it happened in my lifetime.
However, as I got older, it seemed as though the news had changed. It didn't feel like a change that had occurred over time. It felt as though it had happened overnight. All of a sudden, I wasn't craving the news. I was repelled by it.
It didn't feel like the journalists were attempting to inform me any longer. It felt like the journalists were trying to outsmart their interviewees or to preach how the journalist knew better than the public. Whatever it was that was happening, I was no longer interested.
The consumption of news through traditional media continues to decrease. The Gallup poll below shows that in March 1998, 50% of the people got their news daily from the local newspaper and 11% never used the local newspaper. Eleven years later in May 2019, the same poll shows that 19% of the people got their news daily from the local newspaper and 43% never used the local newspaper.
One could argue that newspapers at least the print version has become an outdated technology. However, broadcast television still provides the highest amount of news viewer, but television news numbers are on a similar decline as well.
In another Gallup poll focusing on nightly news programs from ABC, CBS, and NBC, the results showed steady decline in viewership. In August 1995, 62% viewed those nightly news programs daily and 3% never viewed the programs. Almost 14 years later in May 2019, 27% viewed those programs daily and 30% never viewed the same programs.
The numbers were only slightly better for local news programs.
It is difficult for me to determine why things have changed or how to fix them. I do know why it is difficult, because it has always been journalism's job to explain things to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment