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Political Polarization in America

I forget what TV show I was watching at the time, but there was a suggestion that there is a massive political polarization occurring in America. And one such fuel for this polarization are authors who write political commentary/satire such as Al Franken, Molly Ivins (all liberal & anti-Bush) and others like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity (all conservative & pro-Bush). In a greater sense you could label these people as "media sources & outlets" which gave the thought the 2004 election will be influenced by the media to an even greater degree. What disturbs me is that many people form their political opinions and alignments by listening to this people and the media in general. The thought the media as a whole will have some grand influence in the coming election is....just plain fucked.

I'm sorry but anyone who takes the opinions of these above mentioned individuals as their basis for formulating political decisions is in need of serious help. Like a lot of things that eminate from the political media you have to take it with a grain of salt and formulate your own individual P.O.V. on a particular subject, especially Election 2004.

quote:

Originally posted by NYCTrancefan I'm sorry but anyone who takes the opinions of these above mentioned individuals as their basis for formulating political decisions is in need of serious help. Like a lot of things that eminate from the political media you have to take it with a grain of salt and formulate your own individual P.O.V. on a particular subject, especially Election 2004.

It is unfortunate and saddening but true. People often have little knowledge in the realm of politics and go to these �media outlets� to form their views for them. In other instances a persons original political views may begin to erode from listening to these outlets � I have a handful of friends who religiously listen to Rush Limbaugh, who were liberal but now have become R.I.N.O. (Republican In Name Only). At other times people begin to fancy the author/satirists� personality � Limbaugh and Franken are usually humorous when expressing their views � and thus are sympathetic towards the cause of these outlets.

The current situation with the media, in my opinion, has come as a result of the change in philosphy that made journalism more important as a form of entertainment than as a means of forwarding information onto the public.

When CNN was the only game in town, they could afford to do stories that had at least some journalistic integrity. But once they had to compete in a business sense with other 24 hour stations, they began to become more and more sensational and have less and less information covered. The media ratings system (and thus the advertising revenue) is geared towards the lowest common denominator. And now that ratings dictate journalistic coverage more than information, you have to give the public something that will keep their eyeballs glued to your portion of the medium.

MrS

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Originally posted by MrSquirrel The current situation with the media, in my opinion, has come as a result of the change in philosphy that made journalism more important as a form of entertainment than as a means of forwarding information onto the public. When CNN was the only game in town, they could afford to do stories that had at least some journalistic integrity. But once they had to compete in a business sense with other 24 hour stations, they began to become more and more sensational and have less and less information covered. The media ratings system (and thus the advertising revenue) is geared towards the lowest common denominator. And now that ratings dictate journalistic coverage more than information, you have to give the public something that will keep their eyeballs glued to your portion of the medium. MrS

I totally agree...however it is at times that the extreme ends of the political spectrum that are usually exposed....I mean I wouldn't consider Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham to be mainstream conservatism, they�re basically borderline fascists. But your right, I guess it draws in the crowds.

quote:

Originally posted by MrSquirrel The current situation with the media, in my opinion, has come as a result of the change in philosphy that made journalism more important as a form of entertainment than as a means of forwarding information onto the public. When CNN was the only game in town, they could afford to do stories that had at least some journalistic integrity. But once they had to compete in a business sense with other 24 hour stations, they began to become more and more sensational and have less and less information covered. The media ratings system (and thus the advertising revenue) is geared towards the lowest common denominator. And now that ratings dictate journalistic coverage more than information, you have to give the public something that will keep their eyeballs glued to your portion of the medium. MrS

What goes around comes around. If the news station consistentely pander towards sensationalism and abandon journalistic integrity/balance then people will begin to become frustrated with such programs and turn to alternate sources. BBC news is already on cable and if it gets increasing popularity for its integrity you can bet it will start capturing more and more market share and you'll start seeing a turnabout by major news networks. Because ultimately, nothing affects change more than the almighty dollar (which is not so mighty anymore).

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