Don't you just love going to the circus?

[Maitre]

Angel' date='Jun 29 2007, 01:05 PM' post='132530']
Wild animals roaring in the background, talented eastern europeans showing off their balancing skills on thin ropes, clowns running around doing their thing. I don't know why the following youtube-clip reminded me of the circus, but I sure do miss it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VdNcCcweL0

Granted, sensationalism was not invented last week, but it is unequivocally growing into one of the many threats to professional journalism (IMO). News of Paris Hilton's escapades ranging from lame television shows, hardcore pornography, movies and imprisonment have been saliently present in our media here on the other side of the pond. I can't imagine the raging inferno this woman sparks in US newspapers. Ditto Britney.

That being said... Mika Brzezinski; a stalwart protector of journalistic integrity, or merely another Paris Hilton-type attention harlot in better disguise?

I'm growing quite tired of the seemingly now common round table discussion "news" program. If I want your opinion, I'll ready your book or your magazine column. Instead, I'd like the news. One anchor telling me what happened today, one reporter per story to add details and context with appropriate video, nicely edited thank you, without a headline like "What you should know about your houshold pets, and the link scientists have found between pets and autism."

I think the internet is coming to dominate information dissemination for a couple reasons: 1. you can always find someone who agrees with you, and you can congratulate them for getting it right, 2. you can always find someone who disagrees with you, and you can virtually shred them for being either too pretentious, or not pretentious enough, 3. you can always find a third person that says both sides have missed the point of the debate, and you can leave them a post that starts with a thoughful emoticon followed by a rambling vaguely coherent statement about how their point of view made you think, and 4. many people are perfectly content to stop after reaching site 1 or maybe 2 and calling it news.

The internet makes you lazy. "Information" delivered at your fingertips so you don't even have to think about where it comes from. For me, I prefer the Joe Friday approach when it comes to journalism, or investigation as the case may be: Just the facts, mam.