I watched a really interesting episode of "The Newsroom" last night. The Newsroom is a great show about what goes on in a cable Network Newsroom in the States, they have a big star newsreader and go-getter producers. They try to maintain their integrity as a serious news reporting network. (There is nothing like that in Australia!) (In fact it is desperately hard to find any real news on TV anywhere in
the world- when I go back to Australia it is all about lost dogs,
someone killed in a car accident, politicians
being...well...politicians. Basically easy to find tabloid stuff).
Anyway, last night was about how they lost ratings to another network that was more like "ACA" or "Today Tonight" in Australia. This other network showed Mothers who were beaten, women who killed thier babies, stars sleeping with other stars...you know , the trashy stuff. It rates, sad but true right?
So, in last nights episode the owners of the network (Like Rupert Murdoch) demanded that this reliable and credible news team...start to cover trashy stories...and they did it...why? Well...to get the big interviews with the big time politicians, world leaders, Mafia head honchos, anyone who is anybody...you need ratings.
If you don't do the trashy stuff, you don't get ratings. If you don't get ratings, you don't get the big stories...is it any wonder TV news is so fucked up!
Thank God for the Internet.
