And That’s The Way It Is: the Rise of Yellow Journalism

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Walter Cronkite *25 oktober 1985
Walter Cronkite *25 oktober 1985

When man landed on the moon in July 1969 we did NOT hear, “Whew, boy… There he is, there’s a foot coming down the steps. … So there’s a foot on the moon, stepping down on the moon. If he’s testing that first step, he must be leery of the lack of government oversight in the step’s construction. … Well, look at those pictures. It’s sort of shadowy, much like the president, but we sort of expected that in the shadow of the lunar module. Armstrong is on the moon, despite the Democrats’ attempts to stop NASA funding — Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old, God-fearing, American patriot, standing on the surface of the moon, on this July 20, 19 hundred and 69.”The reason we didn’t hear it is because that’s spin and Cronkite was all about news.

News is almost unrecognizable compared to the classic journalism from just a generation ago. News used to be the answer to the five W’s; who, what, when, where, and why. Now the information goes through a centrifuge, a filter, and a prism and the facts become secondary to the spin. The details are almost unnecessary, now. The anchor’s speculation as to the reasons behind a particular event take the main stage. And if their speculation doesn’t fill up the entire spot, they call upon “experts” or “special correspondents” to validate their opinion. The talking heads bicker about who’s to blame or who’s responsible and then they move on to the other “topic” of the day. Proving, once again, that while Yellow Journalism has been around for over a century, it has almost supplanted actual journalism in its current form.

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David Brinkley

I shudder to think what Murrow, Cronkite, and Brinkley would say if subjected to the parade of “stories” that are on display 24/7 these days. And that may be the root of the current problem with today’s news; the never ending desire to fill every single one of those hours with some talking heads discussing something and adding their own reasons as to why they think the something happened or didn’t happen or should have happened. And if you add up the minutes of actually discussing the issue versus the discussing the opinions surrounding the issue, I’m fairly certain the scales will severely tip towards opinions.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate editorial commentary when appropriate but it’s not actually editorial if it’s the only type of commentary you provide or if you editorialize every item more than you investigate it. And there’s the key, I believe. Investigation is designed to answer questions and offer answers. Editorials are designed to offer only opinions, and when watching any 24hr news source, I am reminded of Olive Garden. You get a never ending supply of breadsticks before your actual meal. Fill up on opinions and there’s no room for facts. And your news networks have bought into this philosophy and have brought news down to as comparable a low as OG has brought authentic Italian food. No offense, Olive Garden but, your marinara ain’t got nothing on grandma’s from the Old Country.

I abhor yellow journalism, or sensationalism, filled with misleading or vague headlines that have a thin line of truth in them and are subsequently slathered in allusion and innuendo. It’s cheap, demeaning, and takes away from the actual issues at hand. And I abhor the fact that sensationalism has become the norm rather than the exception, nowadays. It makes the few anchors and reporters that adhere to standards soar that much higher, in my opinion. Yet, I see the bar being lowered for them as well. We don’t have a Cronkite anymore. There’s not a Jennings to rely on. There are no more Brinkleys, Murrows, or Thomases to speak facts to the nation about serious issues and what their impacts are. And that lack of integrity and responsibility is what has brought us our current crop of experts and correspondents. Now, throw in your cyber journalists who get paid “by the click” and not the content and you end up with fast and loose journalism that spreads like wildfire.

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In closing, I’ll quote one of the most dedicated and trusted journalists of the last century, Edward R. Murrow, who, in regards to television, said, “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate, yes, it can inspire. But it can only do so to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely lights and wires in a box.”

About Post Author

Josh Fielder

Josh Fielder is from Central Virginia and when he's not driving his RV cross-country, writing short stories under the pen-name Hack Kerouac, or saving turtles, he writes articles designed to help sufferers of Cranial Rectal Inversion.
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8 years ago

Same all over mate. Good article though.

8 years ago

It’s the same here in the UK. All the good guys are gone and now it’s only the fluffers. Sad it is.

Bill Formby
8 years ago

It has gotten to where I try not to pay attention to cable news anymore. The news, as it is called, is more about politics and sensationalizing anything that they wish and keeping going. It has become dribble. I once counted 15 times in the same day that CNN had “Breaking News” that was the same story. Excellent write up Josh.

Reply to  Bill Formby
8 years ago

CNN and MSNBC are awful. Just awful and you are right about that “Breaking News” nonsense Bill.

Admin
8 years ago

I grew up listening to Walter Cronkite, and his was a voice I will never forget. Sadly, we don’t hear such voices today, as you so aptly point out Josh. Great read man.

Reply to  Josh Fielder
8 years ago

I couldn’t agree more. I will never forget that dark day in November of 1963 when Walter Cronkite took off his glasses, and with his voice cracking, announced John F. Kennedy was dead. I remember it like it happened yesterday.

Glenn Geist
Reply to  Professor Mike
8 years ago

Of course it seems like yesterday, and I remember that we weren’t treated to a non-stop 48 hour marathon of speculation about Johnson’s involvement and Kennedy’s infidelities and what a weak, yet tyrannical empty suit he had been.

It’s more than yellow journalism, it’s brown and it stinks and it’s poisoning us all.

Reply to  Glenn Geist
8 years ago

Hear! Hear! I read somewhere that it’s actually “Here! Here!” and then I read somewhere else that it was, in fact, “Hear! Hear!” Damn journalists anyway, or was that Shakespeare?

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