How could you be so heartless?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I’ve discovered something that irks me.

Here are some (not all, I admit I chose some of these just to prove my point) of the top headlines from CNN.com in America:

‘Idol’ blog: Kris Allen need not ‘Apologize’
Miss California USA to keep title
‘It was like the sky fell down,’ mom cries
Missing teen’s cell phone gives cops clue
How it feels to be judged on looks
Ranking the best, worst owners in sports

Really? Believe me, I completely understand addressing your audience, but what in the world kind of audience is regularly visiting the site if that’s the case. I am a little embarrassed because I do regularly visit the site, but find myself digging for what I want to read.

The reason this irritates me is for the simple fact that there are way more important issues happening around the world, but instead the decision on letting Miss California keep her crown is deemed more important. Ridiculous.

I feel a bit manipulated (and I began to feel like that in my media and politics class), because I find myself discovering news about my own country from friends who live in other countries. That’s sad. They have to tell me what is going with my president or my economy. They also inform me of information about their own countries that don’t seem to make it past the never-ending run of ‘missing teens’ stories.

For some reason I’ve always been obsessed and a little fascinated with the media and how it works. I am still obsessed, fascinated, intrigued and now just a little motivated to do something about all of this.

I know that CNN and all other media is a business, and a professor once drilled into my head that they only exist to make money. I just wish they would make money better.