State of 21st Century news media Open season on Tigers De-evolution & Idiocracy Why traditional media died end of first decade

For 200 years the world looked to the United States of America as a beacon due its First Amendment; finest journalism throughout the world.

Peter Zenger and other forefathers – hell, even my journalism professors Pulitzer Prize winner John Hightower and Tony Hillerman, are rolling over in their graves. The Tiger Woods fiasco, once again lead by TMZ, shows the state of journalism at the dawn of the 21st Century’s second decade, and why traditional media is dead.

Innuendo, rumor and hearsay are the standards. While I was taught running with the facts, using three or more sources, today’s journalist will run with a story from a publicity seeker in Las Vegas ready to make a name for herself.

I was ready to attack ALL media. I’ve read it at Yahoo, Chicago Tribune and most other media; even the venerable London Times. I must bestow kudos to the New York Times. The story was relegated to the sports section, not the front page as other media saw fit.

The ’70s band Devo said it was de-evolution. The movie Idiocracy pictured a future of idiots – we’ve arrived.

Could you see 18th Century media focusing on Ben Franklin’s affairs? No, they were focused on “the shot heard round the world.” Twentieth Century media covered two wars, a recession, union organizing in Colorado, HMOs. Today’s media covers Michael Jackson’s death and Tiger Woods alleged affairs while murder and crime soar throughout the nation, troops are deployed to countries that don’t want us there, AH1N1 ravages the world and the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. No reporting on the Hadron Collider which could end the world. You wonder why traditional media is dead?