Posted on 11/04/2007 4:29:38 AM PST by BigAlPro
Is it just me or are we all getting pretty tired of FNC’s abuse of “Breaking News” and “News Alerts”? It amazes me that you can’t watch one day’s worth of programming on America’s “fair and balanced” network without being assaulted by these false overtures. The producers at the FNC must think we are the dumbest viewers in the history of television news.
The recent fires in Southern California provided almost every anchor on Fox with the opportunity to over-dramatize the events of the day. I’ve never seen so many “Breaking News” reports on one story in my life. And it wasn’t as if they were actually reporting on something that hadn’t been covered all day long or even a significant change to what had already been reported. Everything was just “breaking”.
In order for news to be breaking, it is supposed to interrupt the regularly scheduled programming. That is why breaking news used to always be preceded with phrases like, “We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this special report”. Likewise, breaking news was always followed by the announcement, “We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.”
Hannity & Colmes are pretty much tied with Greta for being the worst when it comes to “News Alerts”. They flash that notice on the screen and start telling us all about some trivial story Shepard Smith “broke” six to seven hours earlier that same day. What is so alerting about a story that has been covered by every other anchor on your network?
When it comes to being overly dramatic, you can’t help but love Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera. However, the top Drama Queen of them all has to be John Gibson.
How is it possible to open your show with “Breaking News”? How do you head into a commercial break by saying, “When we come back, we’ll have Breaking News on today’s top story”? How do you have breaking news in the beginning, middle and end of a news program? How is anything “Brittney” breaking? Do they not understand the simple concept of “Breaking”?
As if all this weren’t bad enough, the FNC has become the king of speculation TV. When your interview includes questions like, “What do you think she meant by…” or “What is going through his mind right now…” you are no longer reporting, you are speculating. What could a retired Jersey trooper possibly know about a carjacker in California? If he’s not a psychic, he’s just another spectator and his input is nothing but conjecture.
Now, I don’t get CNN and I wouldn’t watch MSNBC if you paid me. For all I know, they may be just as bad as my beloved Fox. However, if someone doesn’t step up and do something about the over-dramatization of network news, I am going to have to turn off my TV and rely solely on the Internet for my daily news.
What is it going to take to bring some integrity to the cable news networks? Maybe we should get Bill O’Reilly to lead a boycott against all network news until they get their act together, quit speculating and stop abusing the once sacred “Breaking News”.
I pretty much stopped watching news on TV...
What is this “TV” you speak of?
Amen.
I have very little time in my life for TV and I hate that Fox wastes my time with celebrity news, medical news and pet news in the morning. Human interest has its place, but I have places to go and things to do. I can't start the day informed watching those morning dolts. I have to fire up FreeRepublic for that.
I spend a bit of time in the office and leave the TV on Fox News just to have some background noise. I listen to some of it and what irritates me are the namby pamby frivolous stories that have no bearing on anything. So several times I switched over to CNN and nothing has changed. Near non stop Bush hammering. Either directly or indirectly thru the war or stocks or taxes just on and on. Hammer Bush hammer Bush.
I’m back to Fox News in the background.
When I get up, I just check FR. If I don't see anything interesting, t5hen nothing interesting has happened
I would rather watch Fox with all its drama and good looking women than any of the rest with their lies and partisanship.
That being said, I keep hoping Roger or Brit will look around an say “ENOUGH of the cryin WOLF and all the fake ass celeb stuff”.
Maybe FNC is watching FR and will take the hint!!!!
Strictly “Naked News” for me.
News isn’t any better, but much easier to watch.
You forgot to have the six bell alert when the missing woman is also a blond, hot looking, has bikini pictures and is a teacher who ran away with a young boy student.
Lets hope that Fox will go thru the learning cycle and improve. The alternative to Fox is ?
The only thing on FNC I watch with any regularity is Brit Hume. The sad fact is that CNN, bias aside, covers much more real news than FNC.
Brit is the gold standard - gravitas and super-intelligent, but also with a sharp sense of humor. Seems like he's the only grownup left on Fox News.
I've always liked Cavuto, but it seems lately, even he's pandering.
Mr. Inspectorette gets the biggest kick out of O'Reilly when he's sitting between blonde Megan Kelly and blonde Lis Weihl. Mr. Inspectorette is convinced that The Big O is experiencing some (ahem) masculine anatomical improvements during these segments.
I was channel surfing through CNN yesterday and they were doing a story on Iraq, and a reporter was stating that in one of the most formerly violent sections of Baghdad that the violence had dissipated and the only thing left to do was economic development. I never stay on CNN too long but to CNN’s credit, it appeared to be a reporter reporting news from the scene, a rare concept indeed on any cable news channel. This is not to say that I TRUST CNN, but I do trust it as much as the SCHLOX News Channel and the bonus is they have Lou Dobbs rightfully indignant about our open borders and appropriately using the term illegal immigrant every 15 seconds.
When everyone used to speak English, this was called “Melodrama,” and it wasn’t a complimentary term.
I choose not to watch. So for me this isn’t an issue at all.
LOL. I guessed several times but correctly managed 7 out of 10.
Kinda like FR where you see “Breaking News” and it’s been on for about three days. (like the Afghan threads)
And FR has more than its share of posters who simply do not understand the concept of Breaking News.
I hear they’re hiring.
I quit watching Fox when that idiot Doocy in the morning mentioned the viewer e-mails asking if they were going to talk about something other than the SoCal wildfires that day. He said something to the effect of "we know there's other news, but no." I switched over to local talk radio...much better.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Yup. Talking to much and to fast.
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