i don’t watch american idol. doesn’t really do it for me. even so, you’d have to be in a coma to miss all the discussions about sanjaya.
among fans, on entertainment shows and even on the internet i’m ok with seeing it. but today nbc nightly news took it way too far. sanjaya, and the conspiracy theories (you read right)regarding how he has remained on the show despite his apparent lack of talent, was featured on the news.
a few weeks ago i was united with a few of my journalism friends. we got into a friendly discussion turned heated debate about this very thing. what makes news news and where does entertainment stop?
one of my friends argued relentlessly that if people wanted to know about something that in and of itself makes it news…be it anna nicole smith’s court after death, britney’s shaved head, or sanjaya’s popularity or lack there of.
i and and another friend countered that when news shows cater to the passing fancy of entertainment it dilutes the credibility (what little is left these days) of news people. it blurs the distinction between fact and fun.
i’m not against the idea of entertainment but i believe there should be distinctions between sources. i don’t look for law advice from a truck driver, neither do i search news from entertainment tonight…they serve different purposes. even so, those purposes are getting harder to distinguish. cnn has turned from 24hour news to news opinions and whatever else (like mtv turned from music) and fox news has so slanted its delivery that it is hard to pick out a fact or where a fact might have come from amidst all the poorly executed “reporting”.
journalism has taken a beating in recent years and this fluff “reporting” continues to do harm. instead of informing and educating the masses – instead of watch-dogging the government and businesses – instead people are bombarded with crap crap crap.
love sanjaya or hate him, but please keep him OFF the nightly news.
when I see items like that, I cringe. I believe editors should go one step further–report what people NEED to know. Here is a novel concept, INVESTIGATE stories, don't regurgitate what is coming from PR mouths (says the Journalism major with the emphasis on PR). If people want that crap, let them learn about it on the pages of Entertainment Weekly or on Inside Edition or whatever else is out there. Because people want insist on being dumbed down, doesn't mean you have to contribute. Challenge them to think and care more about the world around them instead of this mindless drivel. At least if editors did their job, the blame would be soley on the shoulders of American citizens whose whole world revolves around American Idol.