MarketPlace Article (audio player required)

I was listening to MarketPlace this evening, and they had a story on how a particular station is now placing paid advertisments in their normal broadcasts. This got me thinking about why the news industry is in such a world of hurt already, and why accepting paid advertising in their broadcasts only exasperates the issue.

The big problem I have with network news is the coverage of the story is generally weak, and provides a sensationalized view of the reasons behind the story. Instead of a calm, balanced view with enough information to help mane intuitive, infrmed judgements, the broadcast concentrates on the emotional aspects of the story, and tries like hell to elicit some form of emotional response from me. That's part of the reason I've gravitated to getting my news online; I don't have to put up with this crap, and I can choose multiple sources if I'm interested in a story.

So, let's revisit this theory for a second. These news outlets are providing less content with more paid advertising. They're providing less of what I want, and now they're introducing an element which seriously undermines their ability to be fair and balanced (aka money). How is this a winning strategy? This is the fomula for an infomercial, not the evening news. I'm already suspect of the consumer segments on most news programs, and now you want to make the kickbacks and paid advertising blatant?

Am I the only person that has a problem with this? [Discuss]