CNN Decline

CNN 's web site has a daily poll question for visitors. Recently it was, "Do you think Paris Hilton has learned a lesson?" My vote was in the majority of the 80% of respondents who said "no". But regardless of whether that spoiled brat learned her lesson or not, I find it sad that CNN would waste it's web question on such matters as Paris. Maybe a good poll question for CNN tomorrow could be, "Do you think CNN spends more time on news or on celebrity updates?"
Are or have you lost faith in CNN as a legitimate news source? Sure, it still does cover major stories reasonably well. But so much of the time that network's time on air and on line is devoted to non news worthy topics, those that entertain but do not perform an educational benefit for viewers or readers. I wonder when the break even point between news and infotainment stories will be in favor of the infotainment side. I think it's pretty close now. I counted the fluff headlines and the real one son CNN's home page today. It was about 60/40 in favor of news. That's pathetic and alarming.
CNN devotes an inordinate amount of time to murders of pretty women, celebrity gossip, voyeuristic video, an alarming number of advertisements by companies CNN has to report on, promoting CNN's own silly non-news feature programs, interviews with Hollywood stars and other "beautiful people"....you get the idea. They are all segments that do not met a serious news source's obligation to inform people of those events that actually affect their day to day lives. And more, the line between the fluff on CNN and their legitimate news stories is now so blurred that viewers have trouble distinguishing the two. That's the bigger problem I see with this decline in CNN. And I mention CNN only because it is so prominent in the world. There are similar problems with all the other major American news sources, which is probably why I seem to read BBC news more frequently. BBC has not yet sold its soul for ratings points, as CNN is doing.
This trivialization of real news at the expense of simple-minded, but ratings grabbing infotainment, is a cancer to public awareness and interest in real issues that affect people. Simple put, if you condition an audience to expect Paris Hilton news it will reject news of Iraq other important events. I remember my economics teacher in high school who quoted Gresham's Law. "Bad money drives good money out of circulation." Well, CNN's bad news reporting is driving good news stories out of circulation." Am I the only one to see this? It can't be.
What a shame for us all. I remember when CNN used to be considered a high water mark in that awful wasteland we call TV, a beacon of insight that informed citizens and reminded them of what was truly important to the progress of humanity. But alas! Now we know and worry about Paris Hilton. God a save the world....