News industry reports insignificant stories

The 24-hour news cycle has made, or at least attempted to make, Americans more informed about the world around them. At any time, be it on television or on the Internet, up-to-the-minute news can be accessed with the greatest of ease. There's just one problem.

The demand to actually fill the 24-hour news cycle, along with the advent of the popular network news stations like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, has bred in the newsrooms of America a culture of speculation journalism. Every shred of information, verified or not, is deemed newsworthy. Gone are the days of "All the news that's fit to print."; now are the days of "All the news that fits, we print." For example, our current flavor-of-the-month is none other than Congressman Gary Condit. I shudder as I write about this man, for I have never been so sick of hearing about someone in my life. As was once humorously stated by comedian Jon Stewart, "You mean a man I don't know had sex with a woman I've never met, and it's none of my business? What?" This should not for a second be construed as some sort of conservative-liberal bias argument (unless you want to discuss Fox News; how right wing can you get?). This constant coverage would be understandable if the story was constantly changing and new reliable tips were pouring in continuously, but this is not the case. I do not want to seem heartless about this young lady's disappearance, but everything that can be said on TV has been said. What will Larry King do for topics once this story dies out?

The breaking point for this news junkie came last Friday. For those of you still in the dark about this, (and I don't blame many of you, it hasn't received much attention) last Thursday, George W. Bush gave confirmation during an all-too-rare news conference that he is preparing to withdraw the United States from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, one of the cornerstones of post-Cold War worldwide diplomacy for nearly 30 years. I could not believe it. Naturally, I wanted to read more about the plan. My first stop was a popular news site, www.cnn.com. Imagine my surprise when this huge derailment of foreign policy wasn't even in the top stories. To find a single shred of information about the plan took many minutes of clicking and searching. My shock knew no bounds as page after page after page of recycled Condit news appeared.

American journalism was once a proud and honest vocation in the tradition of Ernie Pyle, Walter Cronkite, and Edward R. Murrow. Now, it is reduced to nothing more than bombarding us constantly with nothing at all. It is sad, but true, and that's the way it is.

Joseph Nield

Sophomore, School of Sciences

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