Mr. F, you could not possibly be more on target here. You've got a couple of years on me, but I grew up roughly the same time as you and saw these exact same things happening, Extremist ideas and concepts presented as fact, while policies and ideals that had actual experience and success behind them (such as Civil Rights, Women's Liberation, and most recently marriage equality) treated as radical, destructive agendas. While Reagan's dismantling of the "Fairness Doctrine" is certainly part of it, you hit the nail on the head by identifying huge money interests buying so much airtime that people are unable to hear, see, or read anything that contradicts their stilted, slanted worldview. Right now people across the country are discovering that the dismantling of the Federal Government doesn't just affect "the bad people" (whoever they consider that to be) but ALL of us. As usual, you are exactly right. More's the pity.
In the Huntley/Brinkley/Chronkite era functioning underneath the national scene was a plethora of local, even hyper local, enterprises that a big percent of local folks read - they represented a common local story purveyor widely accepted as accurate and informative more avidly read than the bigs. Up here in Oracle the San Manuel Miner served that audience reliably for decades covering the rise of Big Copper (Magma) and its unions (including Mine-Mill); company town San Manuel build out (by Del Webb); community institutions like food banks and mutual aid groups, churches; schools and youth sports. The Miner is still around (part of Copper Area publications). I know because I saw the patriarch of the enterprise, Jim Carnes, delivering the weekly paper to our local coffee shop - Way of Bean Coffee Club. But these days local communications are far more fragmented, with a jigsaw puzzle of FB posts, websites, and substacks (which is my thing: frankpierson.substack.com). Some great journalism was advanced by the Miner over many decades covering local stories with national connections/implications. None of the local mix rises to the standard right about now.
The only time this generation hears the name "Walter Cronkite" is if someone they know goes to ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
I highly recommend Meidas Touch Network on Substack and You Tube. Heather Cox Richardson is a goddess on History and Facts with --gasp!--documentation. Get away from the damn TV kids.
For me there are a few trusted resources still around like the New York Times, WSJ, Washington Post and articles from the Atlantic. Yes they have their opinion columns too and not just the “facts”. I’m sure there are others but there are only so many hours in a day and I do have a life which I want to do other things. I miss Walter Cronkite as after dinner my routine is to enjoy a cup of coffee and watch national news for 30 mins. But unfortunately it really isn’t news anymore, more like opinion and sensationalism. You get one or two liners but nothing of any substance. Best to stick with PBS. Everyone seems to want to give their opinion of the facts, but where are those facts coming from. Can’t we trust the news anymore to get those facts? Sure doesn’t seem as likely anymore. And let’s not go down the path of what is coming out of Trump’s mouth and his administration!
NYT? are you kidding? Talk about sane washing! And WaPo run by Bezos-- "Where Democracy Goes to Die on Amazon"--those are two of the prime (ha ha) examples of what David was talking about!
MEIDAS TOUCH NETWORK online and YouTube if you want to watch video news, PBS, The BBC, The Guardian or Al-Jaezzera if you want a really harsh light on the truth.
Perfectly said. The moguls of the right has been working on the destruction of our democracy, which needs an educated public, by simultaneously destroying trust in media as you state and destroying the public institutions that make democracy work at all
I too grew up with Walter “and that’s the way it is” Cronkite. Our other news sources in my house: 60 Minutes and Laugh-In, TIME magazine and always the daily newspaper (San Francisco Chronicle). And surrounded by lots of books. And discussions at the dinner table. Those were the days my friend! Pls continue to bloviate.
I remember clearly my parents, very conservative Republicans, who, in the late 1980’s, shifted from the PBS Newshour every night at the dinner table and rational debate with their left leaning
adult children to Fox “News.” Debate turned to shouting matches. My cousin thinks even my dad would be turning over in his grave at Trump and MAGA’s rise. I’m not so sure…
Back in 'our day' television news was a loss-leader for the networks... A public service of sorts that was not expected to be profitable. With the advent of cable and essentially free air time, the 24 hour news cycle soon became the norm, and in an effort to garner an addicted (read profitable) audience, it soon became partisan and opinionated. Today, news is a huge business that must generate a profit to it's investors and has consequentially lost it's objectivity and credibility. In my opinion 30 minutes a night of 'low budget' Walter Cronkite reporting was just about right.
I, too, was born in 1955 and had a fascinating grow-up in the 60’s. Great, trusted evening news! Newspapers. In the town where I grew up (SE PA) we had TWO daily newspapers. One was more right leaning and the other more left although the lines were not that radical as they are today. My parents were both democrats and bought both. Yup grew up during the Vietnam war and the fall of Nixon but overall great things happened for society. For people. For ALL. I also went to church and Sunday school every week. While no longer associated with any religion I learned the basics of tolerance, truth and kindness. What this turning point crap is IS NOT THE CHRISTIAN WAY I was taught. Kindness. Thanks Fitz you are an inspiration.
Right wing media tells followers what they want to hear. Mainstream media sometimes reports unpleasant facts that make Conservatives uncomfortable. They don't want to hear "that crap" that challenges their nice little world where selfishness and anything done by right wingers is morally justified no matter how objectively abhorrent.
Mr. F, you could not possibly be more on target here. You've got a couple of years on me, but I grew up roughly the same time as you and saw these exact same things happening, Extremist ideas and concepts presented as fact, while policies and ideals that had actual experience and success behind them (such as Civil Rights, Women's Liberation, and most recently marriage equality) treated as radical, destructive agendas. While Reagan's dismantling of the "Fairness Doctrine" is certainly part of it, you hit the nail on the head by identifying huge money interests buying so much airtime that people are unable to hear, see, or read anything that contradicts their stilted, slanted worldview. Right now people across the country are discovering that the dismantling of the Federal Government doesn't just affect "the bad people" (whoever they consider that to be) but ALL of us. As usual, you are exactly right. More's the pity.
In the Huntley/Brinkley/Chronkite era functioning underneath the national scene was a plethora of local, even hyper local, enterprises that a big percent of local folks read - they represented a common local story purveyor widely accepted as accurate and informative more avidly read than the bigs. Up here in Oracle the San Manuel Miner served that audience reliably for decades covering the rise of Big Copper (Magma) and its unions (including Mine-Mill); company town San Manuel build out (by Del Webb); community institutions like food banks and mutual aid groups, churches; schools and youth sports. The Miner is still around (part of Copper Area publications). I know because I saw the patriarch of the enterprise, Jim Carnes, delivering the weekly paper to our local coffee shop - Way of Bean Coffee Club. But these days local communications are far more fragmented, with a jigsaw puzzle of FB posts, websites, and substacks (which is my thing: frankpierson.substack.com). Some great journalism was advanced by the Miner over many decades covering local stories with national connections/implications. None of the local mix rises to the standard right about now.
The only time this generation hears the name "Walter Cronkite" is if someone they know goes to ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
I highly recommend Meidas Touch Network on Substack and You Tube. Heather Cox Richardson is a goddess on History and Facts with --gasp!--documentation. Get away from the damn TV kids.
I agree completely. Two of my absolute favorites to guide me through this authoritarian minefield.
For me there are a few trusted resources still around like the New York Times, WSJ, Washington Post and articles from the Atlantic. Yes they have their opinion columns too and not just the “facts”. I’m sure there are others but there are only so many hours in a day and I do have a life which I want to do other things. I miss Walter Cronkite as after dinner my routine is to enjoy a cup of coffee and watch national news for 30 mins. But unfortunately it really isn’t news anymore, more like opinion and sensationalism. You get one or two liners but nothing of any substance. Best to stick with PBS. Everyone seems to want to give their opinion of the facts, but where are those facts coming from. Can’t we trust the news anymore to get those facts? Sure doesn’t seem as likely anymore. And let’s not go down the path of what is coming out of Trump’s mouth and his administration!
NYT? are you kidding? Talk about sane washing! And WaPo run by Bezos-- "Where Democracy Goes to Die on Amazon"--those are two of the prime (ha ha) examples of what David was talking about!
MEIDAS TOUCH NETWORK online and YouTube if you want to watch video news, PBS, The BBC, The Guardian or Al-Jaezzera if you want a really harsh light on the truth.
And the Guardian, Mother Jones
Perfectly said. The moguls of the right has been working on the destruction of our democracy, which needs an educated public, by simultaneously destroying trust in media as you state and destroying the public institutions that make democracy work at all
I too grew up with Walter “and that’s the way it is” Cronkite. Our other news sources in my house: 60 Minutes and Laugh-In, TIME magazine and always the daily newspaper (San Francisco Chronicle). And surrounded by lots of books. And discussions at the dinner table. Those were the days my friend! Pls continue to bloviate.
I remember clearly my parents, very conservative Republicans, who, in the late 1980’s, shifted from the PBS Newshour every night at the dinner table and rational debate with their left leaning
adult children to Fox “News.” Debate turned to shouting matches. My cousin thinks even my dad would be turning over in his grave at Trump and MAGA’s rise. I’m not so sure…
Yah, if you bloviate again, you're going to clean it up, buster!
Back in 'our day' television news was a loss-leader for the networks... A public service of sorts that was not expected to be profitable. With the advent of cable and essentially free air time, the 24 hour news cycle soon became the norm, and in an effort to garner an addicted (read profitable) audience, it soon became partisan and opinionated. Today, news is a huge business that must generate a profit to it's investors and has consequentially lost it's objectivity and credibility. In my opinion 30 minutes a night of 'low budget' Walter Cronkite reporting was just about right.
I trust you David and have for many, many years.
Nate Norris, Sun City Oro Valley
gumby 9714@gmail.com 520-825-6526
I, too, was born in 1955 and had a fascinating grow-up in the 60’s. Great, trusted evening news! Newspapers. In the town where I grew up (SE PA) we had TWO daily newspapers. One was more right leaning and the other more left although the lines were not that radical as they are today. My parents were both democrats and bought both. Yup grew up during the Vietnam war and the fall of Nixon but overall great things happened for society. For people. For ALL. I also went to church and Sunday school every week. While no longer associated with any religion I learned the basics of tolerance, truth and kindness. What this turning point crap is IS NOT THE CHRISTIAN WAY I was taught. Kindness. Thanks Fitz you are an inspiration.
Right wing media tells followers what they want to hear. Mainstream media sometimes reports unpleasant facts that make Conservatives uncomfortable. They don't want to hear "that crap" that challenges their nice little world where selfishness and anything done by right wingers is morally justified no matter how objectively abhorrent.