On March 29, the New York Times reported that in the last quarter’s television ratings, CNN had fallen even further behind competitors FOX News and MSNBC. Particularly, primetime ratings were a weak spot for the network, which constitutes the third part of what may be the “Big Three” of television news. Not coincidentally, primetime hours on the other two networks are dominated by opinion shows, while CNN features news-oriented programs.
The catalyst that led to this bold decision was the YouTube-hit Jon Stewart tirade on CNN’s “Crossfire” in October 2004. In typical Stewart fashion, the Daily Show host ripped hosts Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson and the news media into shreds, comparing “Crossfire” to professional wrestling.
If you’re one of the few people who haven’t seen the video before, then go check it out now; written words can hardly do it justice — and I’m pretty sure the Collegiate Times can’t print Stewart’s last remark to Carlson.
Even if the YouTube video was forgettable, Stewart’s message certainly wasn’t. Two months later, CNN canceled “Crossfire,” with network executive Jon Klein citing the mild-mannered satirist’s diatribe as being the final factor in the decision. CNN was taking a bold stand — in an election year, no less — to be a beacon of the possibilities for the still-infantile concept of 24-hour cable
news.
The decision was both promising and disastrous. In 2004, when the dangers facing newspapers were becoming frighteningly clear, CNN gave hope that cable news media primacy doesn’t have to mean the end of news, as we know it. Six years later though, with newspapers still in a tailspin, MSNBC and FOX have not only grown more polarized and more theatrical, they’ve also made huge gains in the ratings game, with CNN’s news-first policy dragging on their coattails. As MSNBC eats up the liberal news market, and FOX dominates the conservatives, it is troubling to wonder whether there is still a market for objective journalism.
Under the American free market system, consumers “vote” their preferences by consumption, and goods that have a market get produced, goods that don’t have a market don’t get produced; this is a basic tenet of economic freedom. That said, it is a sad indictment on our political culture that consumers have voted for networks like MSNBC and FOX, both of which are merely extensions of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. These are that networks channeling the brain waves of the people who draw Hitler mustaches on the current president, or threw sneakers at the last one. Every time we reach what seems to be the limit of absurdity, they find a way to drive us across that invisible line once more. The evolution of death threats following the health care vote into the insanity of the Hutaree warriors is an all-too-telling illustration
of this.
A version of this article appeared in the Apr 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 8 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
While CNN may not have opinion shows, that does not make them objective. Everyone tells the news through some perspective, even if they refuse to admit it. There is an inherent bias in reporting the news no matter the reporter or news station. They have to be selective with what they report. How do you decide objectively what makes the cut? A human makes a decision. Bias.
I do share your disgust with MSNBC and Fox news. The reason why Democrats and Republicans can't "discuss in a civil manner..." is because fundamentally there is little difference between what the two parties believe. Republicans are for government intervention in medicine, as long as they're doing the intervening. They supported Medicare part D, the largest increase in socialized medicine ever (at the time). Mitt Romney, the Republicans great hope for 2012 himself signed into law health care reform similar to Obamacare in his home state of Massachusetts (you'd think this massive failure would have taught us a lesson for national health care reform, but apparently nobody is listening). And the Democrats, aren't they supposed to be opposing that thing? I remember there being protests about it. Oh yeah, the whole fighting multiple wars thing. How's that going? This democratic administration has also supported indefinite detention (again its ok, as long as they're the ones doing the detaining). WOOOOOO for change!!!*
*disclaimer: By change I doing the exact same thing
Reply to this Top
CNN is an objective news source? Have you been watching lately?
I do agree with John G about there being little difference in the “parties†today. They are all Republicrats! Being in politics today has become a job instead of a civic duty or public service. The entrenched political class (long ago extolled as a danger) is slowly suffocating us all---regardless of whatever is behind their name. Instead of doing the right thing---they do the politically “right†thing---which in most cases is going to be the wrong thing---sooner or later.
Reply to this Top
Going to a high falluting college like VT and haven't learned a damn thing...
"...If supporting what might be seen as high-brow news programming..." If you think CNN is high-brow then you're nearly as enlightened as you think. Just because you agree with their opinions doesn't mean it's objective. (PUKE)
Like most CT articles this one has failed in several ways. I'll make a short list as a detailed analysis of the failure would be longer than the original article itself:
List of FAIL:
1) The world isn't just Dems and Repubs
2)Most of CNNs programming is opinion based (AC360 for example)
3)All TV news is for entertainment purposes only. A person capable of reason doesn't need the TV to tell them what to think.
4)"That said, it is a sad indictment on our political culture that consumers have voted for networks like MSNBC and FOX" What is really sad about our political culture is this belief in a false left-right dichotomy.
5) Socialism is by its very nature inextricably linked to dictatorial powers
6) You said you feel arrogant for writing this article. I'm not a psychiatrist, but I think the more appropriate feeling would be embarassment or possibly shame.
Reply to this Top
But to be fair, there is one WIN in your post. That is where you said it was silly to draw a Hitler mustache on Obama. That is correct. Hitler was a national socialist and Obama is an international socialist.
Reply to this Top
Ahhh, yes...CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/11/martin.confederate.extremist/index.html?hpt=C1
Reply to this Top
Wow thanks for bringing that to our attention. That is extremely offensive, he is a blithering idiot.
Reply to this Top
CNN is objective??? Come on.
That word can't describe any company that hires Rick Sanchez, Christiane Amanpour, and Anderson Cooper.
And John Stewart didn't even know what a GSE was after making comments about Freddie Mac's bailout. I'd bet that that he still does not.
Reply to this Top
Many times we see leaked images of some new products on the web, but in most cases these images turn out to be created using Photoshop or other image editing software. Now you can judege whether an image is taken by a digital camera or is edited in Photoshop by <a href="http://www.pskiller.com/">Photoshopped Image Killer</a>.
Reply to this Top