CNN Sabatical
OK. Now that Rita has passed, I am going to stop watching CNN indefinitely. My wife points out that it is depressing to watch, which is true since I was watching it almost exclusively during the Katrina coverage.
I started following CNN online after Sept. 11th to be sure I knew about something as soon as it happens or to be one of the first to know. Since I was working downtown, I felt it may save my life to know of a dangerous situation if it were to happen. I will probably still follow the online version. I can read only the articles of interest and on TV you're stuck with what they show. I started watching CNN after we moved here because it was 24/7 about US news.
It is time for me to move on and start following the news here in Montreal. I have been getting news here via news radio, morning radio programs, and free handout printed journals. Occasionally, I would end up watching local TV news, but for the most part I would switch to CNN. When I would return to Chicago, everyone would always asks me what people think up here or what the news reports. The ironic thing is that I watched CNN in order to be on the same page as them. So far I have only been able to relay what I had heard from occasional conversations with acquaintences and comments on the radio. This is probably another small step in the transition from Chicago to here. At a later date, I will be able to relay what differences I see.
2 comments:
I'm very skeptical of mainstream media, and CNN is the worst of the bunch. Given that their whole existence is based on news, it's as much in their best interest to make news as it is to report it. And by make I don't mean they're out there stirring shit up, I mean by deciding to cover a story a certain way for a certain amount of time per day, they're helping people decide what is important and what is news. When something like Katrina or 9/11 occurs, it's obvious what CNN will devote it's time to, but recently when news was slow and I was sitting in an airport there was constant coverage of some ridiculous story. I think it was about a small plane that got to close to the White House. Gimme a break!
That may be why I'm leaning toward news radio. Just the headlines most of the time with in depth coverage over the hour. Also another arguement for printed news. No need to fill time.
I was happy with CNN's coverage of Katrina for the first week, then they started to stretch for more stories. My problem is I am getting frustrated with all the bad things people do. Another reason why I'm liking the NPR style news radio. May be boring at times, but I can just pop in Thievery Corp in that case.
I miss comedy. Stateside there was Comedy Central and Letterman was at a reasonable hour. As my wife and I both experience, comedy is probably the most difficult thing to understand in another language.
Post a Comment