On a day the Dow Jones surged 2.20% and Nasdaq gained 3.00%,
I received a CNN Breaking News Alert:
Actress Katie Holmes has filed for divorce from Tom
Cruise, his attorney says.
Other news this day included articles dissecting the Supreme
Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, the death toll of civilians in
Syria, a bailout of European banks and Roger Federer’s stunning victory in the
third round of Wimbledon (two sets down, he pulled through in a fifth set
trouncing of Benneteau).
And yet, divorce is considered the Breaking News story.
The other day, the L.A. Times had a scathing article on the
new HBO series “The Newsroom.” The show didn’t fare much better in some other
reviews. It got me thinking: Is it possible the media doesn’t like a show about
the media that points out the problems with the media? This show should be
required viewing for journalists.
So with a Breaking News Alert from CNN (the most trusted
name in news?) about a private matter between two people I don’t care about,
the question is: Do news organizations lead the way to the dumbing down of America
or are they just giving the people what they want?
