Shut-up Stupid Sunday: “News” channels

In our new world of 24-7 news coverage we have more “News” anchors and commentators than ever. So with more people involved in the “news” we should have better information than ever, so why don’t we?

I don’t remember a time when the “news”, and not just Fox, was farther off events than they currently are.

Last year health reform was deemed dead since the start of the process, and it passed with a majority in the house and 60 votes in the Senate. Same with just about every other thing the pundits speculated on.

This year is an election year and these same people claimed it is a huge anti-incumbent year. In Tuesdays primaries, incumbents won 82 out the 84 positions they were running for, with one forced into a run off election and the one that lost was under so many felony charges he would need to legislate from his jail cell.

These same people are saying the Democrats will lose heavily in November. But a look at the individual Senate races show 5 Democrats are in danger of losing their seats and 5 Republicans in the same danger. In all likelihood the Democrats and Republicans will swap 10 seats and the balance will remain roughly the same.

So why are the “news” channels so wrong?

While the number of anchors and commentators are way up from before, the number of reporters is down by 25%.

So you have more people than ever looking over less data than ever.

Without actual reporters on the scene, not just cameramen, these anchors and commentators don’t have an accurate picture of what’s happening to comment on. So they can talk about how Rand Paul supporters show up to all sorts of events, but without a reporter there on the scene to talk to this same 10 people and report on how the one unemployed guy at these rallies, I forget his name, is constantly drunk, the commentators can’t really get a good handle on what a joke these people really are.

It’s the same with the “News” everywhere. Back when NY-23rd district was in the news anyone who spent any time up there could tell the “man on the street” interviews didn’t include anyone from the region, but without anyone on staff familiar with the area the camera crews were returning completely false images of what was happening up there.

Hopefully enough people will start to tune out the “news” channels until they stop putting all their money into the anchors and commentators and hire some more reporters.

So to the over-paid anchors and commentators I say, “Shut-up Stupid, you are only there to relay what the reporters are seeing and feeling on the ground, without them you are useless as the false narratives have shown. Take a damn pay cut to get some real reporters working under you and your shows will be better and you will actually earn the respect of your viewers.”


By Darrell B. Nelson author of Invasive Thoughts