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Comment by ericmcer | Hacker News Reader

Its true that other media outlets are doing it as well. Maybe each one believes they are manipulating and exploiting their audience in the "right" way?

I wish we could get more Cronkite style anchors, who prided themselves on delivering information to the public in an unemotional and straightforward manner. Instead we get emotionally charged news anchors who are trying to incite the strongest reactions they can get.

I always loved the video of Cronkite delivering the news of Kennedy's assassination. https://youtu.be/6PXORQE5-CY?si=papzPPt00V8GC6Hp&t=64

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>I wish we could get more Cronkite style anchors, who prided themselves on delivering information to the public in an unemotional and straightforward manner. Instead we get emotionally charged news anchors who are trying to incite the strongest reactions they can get.

A level-headed Cronkite-like figure would work well in an environment where "the media" knows to get out of the way when there isn't any urgent news to report (e.g., a 9/11-style emergency). But that doesn't make advertisers or shareholders happy, so we're stuck in a ratchet-up environment where EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT ALL THE TIME SO KEEP WATCHING KEEP WATCHING KEEP WATCHING!!!

Precisely. Cronkite did one thirty-minute show per day, and he himself was only on for part of it.

It's not difficult to acquire the ten minutes worth of actual news per day. If you're consuming more than that, the problem isn't with the anchor. It's that you want to be entertained rather than informed.

none of the news anchors should get the kind of dramatic powers they acquired over time. obligatory reference to Network (1976)

here is a fantastic analysis of Network and rise of the news anchors in the framing of Network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlCLZIn38ao

I think that is true, but somehow a "race to the bottom" has been going on and some are more guilty than others of setting it in motion. It can be quite hard not to get drawn into such a situation as a for-profit organisation, the perception is go along or die. But it's a choice, if nobody plays along there is no race.

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