NEWS: now entertainment worth sharing!
It is no surprise that one of the most popular arguments in college classrooms today revolves around news media outlets, and whether or not we are getting actual news, or if it is simply entertainment. This debate might go on forever, but why? Can we, as a society, simply accept the fact that news and entertainment are no longer two separate entities, and have now become one in the same? Well this may be easier said than done, and there is a great fear that this will one day be the case. 
Media purists will tell you that the state of news media outlets is in crisis mode; that the agenda setters of the world have finally gotten what they want: for EVERYONE to be tuning in. This means that those looking for Paris Hilton headlines go to the same place as those who are looking for updates on national security. This isn’t necessarily a good thing. Sure, you save money on ad dollars by putting all content at one place, and not having to use several outlets for differnent information, but trivial news dilutes the importance of vital information, and matters of global impact become trivial to those seeking the latest celebrity gossip.
This is not a unique argument, but I would like to pose a question that goes along with it: If this media epidemic comes to a halt, what will be its cause? Maybe it will take one person to stand up and say, no, enough is enough. Somebody alluded to this the other day and he is a rather influential figure, President Barack Obama had this to say to students at Hampton University, “With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.” This statement has been said by almost every journalism professor, but hopefully it will resonate more coming from an influential icon such as President Obama.
However, it will take more than a few words to make a drastic shift. It is up to the Rupert Murdoch’s of the world to step up and take action, to take TMZ off of network television, to put an end to 24hr news sources. Murdoch has been quoted for being an activist in the field, “I’m a catalyst for change. You can’t be an outsider and be successful over 30 years without leaving a certain amount of scar tissue around the place.” Are we feeling the effects of the scar tissue right now, or has the change yet to come?
Something tells me that the change we are looking for isn’t going to happen for quite some time, if it even happens at all.
