Major cable-news networks, a disgrace to journalism.

Arguments & character assassination rule airwaves;
panelists’ dialogue is juvenile, abrasive and absurd

LOW-GRADE CONTENT KILLS OFF CIVILIZED DEBATE
 
By David Maril
 
Tune in much of the “discussion” programming on right-wing Fox News and left-wing MSNBC and you wonder how this type of low-grade content can generate an audience. The dialogue between the panelists, on the left  and right, often becomes juvenile, petty, abrasive and absurd.

Although these programs, which have become the rage of cable networks,  are masqueraded as news analysis and perspective shows, they deal more in entertainment than information.

People don’t watch these programs for news. The ratings are generated by the intensity of the arguments.

MSNBC and Fox News don’t inform their audiences. The goal is to inflame the viewers, making people more intolerant of hearing opposing points of view while fattening up the networks’ ratings.

The thinking is, the more outspoken the hosts are and the more they disagree and interrupt their guests, the more viewers are drawn to the chaos on camera.

The success of this type of screaming format has forced cable networks to turn up the volume and put etiquette on the back-burner. As this trend becomes even more entrenched, one has to wonder if an interviewer like Charlie Rose, the master of diplomacy, can survive. Will CNN find a way to generate decent ratings if it focuses on strictly covering the news?

Charlie Rose is a master of interview diplomacy. But can he survive?

The cable-news television moguls figured out a long time ago that opinions are a common denominator for their audiences. Whether their viewers own one or four cars, rent a room or own a mansion, doesn’t matter because everyone has an opinion. Introduce a famous name or a controversial issue and you can stage an argument that connects with the viewers.

We are at a point where cable news is divided into political viewpoints. More and more people pick their news stations by what political point of view they want to hear. Balance and objective coverage seem to matter less and less.

If you form all of your political and news judgments from watching Fox News, you probably believe President Barack Obama is viewed as a wimp around the world while turning the United States into a second-rate regional power.

Domestically, you believe just the opposite and consider the president an imperial dictator pushing a socialist doctrine down our throats. “Obamacare” is written off as a disaster that must be killed as soon as possible, even if it takes 20 years.

If you watch nothing but MSNBC, you believe conservatives are demons who live self-centered lives and only care about preserving the wealth of the rich.

When it comes to Obama, it’s blanket support bordering on hero worship and you blame all of his difficulties on Congress. The only criticism he draws is at times being too pragmatic and not sticking far enough to the left.

Despite all the problems with implementation, it’s considered treasonous to criticize any aspect of the Affordable Healthcare plan.

Our politicians follow this biased, simplistic approach: In the Republican controlled House, bills that have no chance of becoming law are continually passed to repeal Obamacare. In the Democratically controlled senate, any attempt to discuss modifications to the Affordable Care Act are voted down.

OBAMACARE NEEDS SOME IMPROVEMENTS

The truth is that very few people, even on the far right, would argue against having some type of health care coverage for everyone. And few, even on the left, would disagree that no matter how well-intentioned Obamacare is, it needs some improvements.

So why is it impossible for our elected officials to sit down and work together on making the Affordable Healthcare plan workable and better?

Instead, we deal in a world of extremes. Everything is cut and dry. There’s little room for discussion and finding common ground.

Unfortunately, this has been going on for years. Remember when Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002?

There was a large liberal segment that felt Carter is a great humanitarian who was finally getting his due as a peacemaker after being unfairly blamed for economic problems during his term as president.

On the other side, there are just as many conservatives who still blame Carter for high inflation rates, mishandling the Iran hostage situation and  undermining U.S. foreign policy in recent years.

CHENEY IS ANOTHER EXTREME EXAMPLE

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is another extreme example.

Many moderates and liberals insist Cheney is a warmonger, resembling a character out of “Dr. Strangelove,” who was nothing more than a lackey to big business and vested-interest groups.

There are just as many on the other side who believe Cheney took a necessary hardline approach in foreign affairs.

The right-wingers, energized by the Tea Party, push tax cuts, putting cash back in their own pockets, and endorsing the belief this will stimulate the economy.

The left believes taxes need to be raised and the answer to everything is to increase spending on domestic programs.

My debate today isn’t on which side is right or wrong. My issue is that neither side listens to the other’s point of view. There’s no discussion of the topics in a constructive manner with hope of finding workable solutions.

As the 50th anniversary of the historic Civil Rights Bill is being commemorated, it’s a shame there isn’t more focus on how this monumental legislation was passed.

ABC’s ‘This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ encourages respected adults to behave poorly.

President Lyndon Johnson was always quick to give significant credit to leaders from the Republican side for bipartisan support. The late Everett Dirksen, then-Senate Minority Leader, was key to the bill’s passage.

Cable news coverage contributes to this trend of screaming out one point of view at the expense of not listening to contrasting opinions.

Intolerance is even spreading to news coverage on the conventional networks.

If you want to watch a bunch of supposedly respected adults behave poorly, tune in ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sundays. Even worse than the show’s digressing into little more than party activists sticking to their usual talking points, the format encourages the panelists to interrupt each other and babble at the same time.

However, as long as ratings sizzle,TV news guests and hosts will be asked to check their manners at the door.

That doesn’t leave any room for civilized discussion.
 
davidmaril@voiceofbaltimore.org
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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