Why do Americans think that the “product” that news stations sell is information and that we viewers are the “consumers”. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
In our commercially based system, the product they sell is advertising air time. Their customers are the companies and organizations that pay to buy the time to sell their own products.
The job of the networks is to attract as many members of their customers’ target groups to watch television so that they will still be watching when the advertisements come on.
Journalism is just a by-product, good journalism a secondary sub-byproduct. If I want entertainment, I watch TV. If I want news, I look for independent sources.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Nov 7 2006 20:33 utc | 1