Why are reporters so Damn opinionated?

[FrenchieCat]

Aren't they just supposed to relay the facts?

Isn't their claim of "objectivity" the reason why they always bring it the opposing view
(now that Obama is in the WH that is) who usually just spew bullshit without any great challenge?

Shouldn't someone break it to them that we are not interested in their opinions?
That if we want opinions, we'll go read some Op-eds?

[babylonsister]

1. Do you know what drives me totally nuts?

Something important is on, be it a meeting with a head of state or Gibbs giving his daily briefing, and these talking heads interrupt whatever the event is because they somehow think we'd prefer to hear their opinions rather than what's happening. I wish someone would disabuse them of that notion. All of them! :grr:

[FrenchieCat]

2. I noticed that when the President has an event, and someone is speaking to introduce him,

and it is usually an American with a story to tell, these news outlet talk over that American....as though the truly believe that we want to continue hearing what the reporters have to say....after they have already been talking the entire time, and saying little connected to facts.

They did the same to the President of Notre Dame on CNN this Sunday at the ND commencement!

Hard to believe that they actually think that we hunger to hear them some more instead of hearing from one of the subject of the ire the media's ginned up to satisfy some politically motivated RW controversy.

I can't stand none of them. None.

[ksoze]

3. Because "facts" need some context to be more useful and used

and there starts the potential for problems as the context is explored. To be sure, news simply read from a teletype machine in short, statements would be boring, less understood and less heard by all. The way to solve this is to have many forms of context and use the whole to shape your own opinion. I think reports also at times use their opinion to pull an answer out of a skilled spokesperson they deal with - it may not actually be their own personal opinion, but it is used to elicit an answer.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. Two things changed, I think: 1) "The New Journalism" of the 60's & 70's

made everyone want to be Tom Wolfe, not joe reporter.
2) Reporters mostly all have college degrees now, unlike a couple generations ago, so they all think we want more of them than who-what-when-where-how.

[Spazito]

5. They are not reporters, they are paid to be infotainers...

increasing their owners' ratings is the ONLY agenda.

[Thrill]

6. Ed Henry and Chuck Todd are so opinionated.

They offer their opinions like they are experts. I've never seen WH correspondents like this.

[depakid]

8. There's a difference (at least overseas) between the charlatans

like you cited- and simply being opinionated. The major difference in what passes for "journalism" in the states no longer proscribes making or repeating false statements of fact (with no analysis or opinion as to whether they or the public are being fed a heaping pile of bullshit).

That would still a source of shame in Australia, for example- or at credible British NEWS (as opposed to Tabloid) outlets.

Moreover- not only is these little or no incentive to get the story right- or pull facts out of one's ass, but people who toe the party line like that often get promoted.

In a way, one can't blame them, though- because it's American viewers and readers themselves who tolerate, watch or read their garbage. I wish I buck for every poster I've read over the years that whines about CNN, CBS, ABC, etc. yet dutifully watches thier shows every day or week- as if they're going be anything other than misinformed.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Because their corporate owners pay them for their opinions,

so long as their opinions adhere to the corporate message.

If they were Joe Friday Reporter; using "The facts and nothing but the facts" as their primary method of informing the American People at some point might and for that matter probably would run contrary to their owner's or their owner's client's interests, whether it was better for the nation or not.

The corporations paying for their commercials are their daddies or clients the American People are only customers or consumers; to be sold a product or down the river, thus the saturation of modern day pundit or reporter opinion are continuous sales pitches; a means of brain washing. The interests of clients are supreme over those of customers.

You will rarely hear the American People referred to by the corporate media as citizens because this is a word of empowerment signifying ownership and the corporate media do not want the American People to feel empowered except as it when serves corporate media interests.

Thanks for the thread, FrenchieCat.

[Clio the Leo]

9. I wish we could just do away with this notion ......

.... that journalists are supposed to be "fair and balanced." Let the left be liberal and let the right be conservative and let the readers/viewers sort out what they want.