Birdcage Liner of the TV Screen
Staying at a friend’s house, I switch on the TV. No cable, but
anything will do as I sip my Black Irish heartstrong brew.
My heart sinks… The Evening News. I listen, trying to look past
fluorescent teeth and blonde helmet hair, at the redwhiteblue flag pins, de riguere.
What kind of News Hell is this?
Gone, the anointed news anchor who
actually decided which stories were aired.
No more fastball pitches in interviews, only slow, sliding grapefruits,
and once they get to the nitty-gritty comes: “We’ll have to leave it there.”
Edward R. Murrow dug to the marrow.
Walter Cronkite, trustworthy and true, integrity personified.
The current crop of dopes read from teleprompters
and think they know the story. Or they’re ‘embedded’ (in bed)
with troops and get to wear fatigues and EV-rything!
Unsinkable twinkies at the helm, naifs who
answered casting calls for Wide-Awake 6 am hosts,
all mammary glands on deck. And in the evening,
pitch-perfect choirboys or gruff cuff-linked old smokies
navigate the stern schedule of the 24-hour news cycle.
Rail all we want; Murdoch is Captain of the Stinking Ship.
FOX is the purveyor of FCC-approved misinformation,
but networks are in this way worst of all:
Infotainment silk-and-velvet-clad bobbleheads who
smile as they read you the story of a deadly car crash.
Treat politicians like celebrities and fawn over them.
Never ask a question that cannot be answered by
a sound byte, scripted before the interview started.
William Randolph Hearst is grinning in his yellow grave.
© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For The Sunday Whirl (wordle below, thanks Brenda!) and also at my poetic port of call, Poets United.
Sharp Little Pencil 
Misky
Well done! I loved Cronkite. He was an anchor in every sense of the term.
Lotusleaf
A strong and well- written poem. It is the same case here in India too. Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog.
Daydreamertoo
And bad news always gets the headlines. I’ve noticed that in the past 10 or so years. The more blood they can show, the better they like it. I’m always amazed at how they can question people who only a few minutes before have either lost a loved one, or their home to fire, or floods, and ask: “How do you feel?” How on earth do they think they feel! Yes, they speak of untold death, destruction and mayhem, all with a smile on their faces, like they are saying “What a lovely day.”
I’m a news junkie, like to know what’s happening in the world but, have never watched Fox news in my life and, doubt I ever will. I navigate between our CTV (Canadian) BBC world news and CNN. At least I get 3 aspects and CTV isn’t false with their reporting at all.
Nice wordle (rant) Amy, I even forgot it was a wordle 🙂
Kate Kresse
I was just pondering this today. For instance, with the 1st moon landing, the networks were all over it. With the Mars landing the other night, they barely covered it. i was able to find ‘mission contro’ on streaming nasa channel. Their coverage was very cronkite-ish. loved your analysis, and every network is infected.
brian miller
i really wish we had nescasters these days that would just tell it like it is…infotainment is great word for it…and misinformation…there is little credibility in newscasting these days…
artmusedog
‘Spot on’ poetry ~ exactly why I don’t watch the ‘news’ ~ all hype and ‘glitter’ ~ thanks for coming by ~ enjoy ( A Creative Harbor) on blogger
Roger Green
You KNOW I despair of the news cycle. BBC is what I end up watching. Bill Moyers is still great.
markwindham
you pretty much nailed all the reasons I do not watch the news. None of them are actually reporting facts anymore, all have agendas. Fox admittedly leans to the right while CNN/ABC/et al would not report anything positive about a Republican if they had a gun to their heads.
It is all pretty much crap intended (as you say) to entertain and influence rather than report.
kaykuala
Terse and crass, that’s how the young ones navigate! It’s the same. They see little they know little but their stories become big for no apparent reason! Less arrogance can go a long way! Nice write Amy!
Hank
Kelly O'Sullivan (HILWD)
I shared this one today. 🙂 The news, or should we say “news”, is the drug of choice for many. Quick hits is all they offer anymore. They are training us all to not want to depth–to not even know there IS depth.
Sherry Blue Sky
What’s even worse is what they DONT tell us, the stuff that is suppressed. I hate seeing the same clip over and over, when what you want is some depth of explanation. Sigh. Good one, Sistah-Woman! I wish you were a news anchor. Then we’d hear what’s going on!
brenda w
Excellent work, Amy. I love “Edward R. Murrow dug to the marrow.” A timely piece..your ideas are spot on (as usual). 🙂
coalblack
Ain’t it the truth? The thing that gets me the most is the local news people who spend more time yucking it up than reporting anything. Leonard Pitts called it a “clown show” and he’s right.
Timoteo
The lead stories on the NBC morning show for the past two weeks have been the Olympics–just because they happen to be broadcasting the Olympics, they have deemed that to be the most “important” thing we should see…not the carnage in Syria…or the economy…no, that crap can wait while we promote our own agenda to maximize the network ratings. ABC does the same thing when their “news” is all about the cast members of the next edition of Dancing With The Stars. There is no more “news” in the traditional sense…INFOTAINMENT is the appropriate word.
oldegg
TV will treat you like an idiot so when you are tempted to buy something you don’t want, you will, because you are an idiot. Sadly we have lost the ability to choose and are continually being manipulated to be a mindless consumer.
vivinfrance
Brilliant exposé, Amy, taken with the excellent comments, a true summation. The BBC news is going that way, too. It is an extension of the whole TV ethos, which reckons that viewers are only capable of taking in five second shots, even in dramas. Before too long, that will become true! They will have dumbed us all down. Personally, I use the off button!
Gracelynn
I’m out of league here. Too much brain power on dilsyap!
PJF Sayers
Amy, an accurate account of what is happening now. I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. You are always entertaining though.
Pamela
SaraV
You completely nailed the current state of current events. Sad to say..however you made me laugh out loud with “all mammary glands on deck”
Really enjoyed this.
lmkazmierczak
Doncha just love see what other people watch regularly on their tvs? Was recently introduced to Pawn Stars and found I actually enjoyed it♫♪ You are such a pro with your prose…
julespaige
What a fun and realistic piece! Most often I just can’t watch the news anymore. Even my newspaper doesn’t seem to have the kahunas to stick to the facts trying not of offend anyone, yet so slanted that you wonder how they stand and not slide.
Thanks for your visit. I’ve been dealing with family issues and sinus issues – nothing serious, I’ll live. But I figured I’d best get to you before tomorrows’ go ’round. At least I’ve got that one already cooked and just rarin’ to go.
Peace to you too. 🙂
purplepeninportland
`unsinkable twinkies’ – I love that phrase. I’m guessing you might be a fan of a new TV show, Newsroom?
Lindy Lee
Have noticed a leaning toward cleavage amongst the female reporter personage
of late; not a prude but isn’t this rude? Nice job,SLP, your a treasure…