Modern News

I read an interesting article today about the miners just taken out of that mine in Tasmania; they had been trapped down the mine for 13 days. During the mine disaster they lost a fellow worker as well, a sad story that had a happy ending.


The article in question

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/05/11/1146940644852.html?from=top5

Was about speculation of a cash offer to the miners to sell their stories.


Channel Nine chief Eddie McGuire has urged freed Tasmanian miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb to "quickly" negotiate media deals to tell their story, to make the most out of their ordeal financially.
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions in Chicago is yet to respond to questions posed by theage.com.au over whether The Oprah Winfrey Show is interested in the dramatic story of the miners' rescue.

Now, don’t get me wrong, if they can get those people to part with some cash more power to those guys.
My concern is the ever increasing degree of checkbook jounleism that is, in my opinion corrupting the news media. It has got the the stage that I believe there is but three kinds of media reporting these days and they are.
1. Partisan ‘reporting’ this consists of taking heads spouting the current line for whichever party they happen to be assoiated with.
2. Infotainment, this seems to be some ginningidiot and buxom parterner reading inane stuff about whatever star was arrested this wee, or which on had a baby etc.
3. Then there is my current favouite the ‘pay to talk’ reports, that is, the ones that have been paid large sums of money to, exclusivly, tell their stories to that outlet.
Seems to me that we are not being served well by the traditional media at all, the saving grace is the sometimes sane voices on the internet.
That’s my rant for the day.