The disturbing, graphic alternative to TV news

Whether or not there is any truth to Donald Trump’s claims that the media is biased against him, one thing friends and foes alike of the Donald can agree to are the merits of tuning out the nightly evening news.
We can’t seem to get off the Internet, but the network evening news, when it’s not airing commercials for erectile dysfunction solutions, is best left unwatched.
C’mon man. ED commercials are more popular than the TV news itself. One of the big takeaways from watching them is that couples who are actors like to smile a lot. Could erections not lasting more than four hours possibly be responsible for so many cheeky grins?
There’s usually a little kiss in there, too, but that might only be in keeping with the thought that it’s better to be getting kissed while you’re getting screwed.
The network evening news is dying but advertisements for ED are flourishing. Go figure. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but I sense a connection there somewhere.

English: CNN Reporter Dan Rivers prepares for his Breaking News report. However the feeds within the country itself were blocked off, as well as most internet service providers. Manik Sethisuwan 02:17, 4 February 2007 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anything that poses as news on television has already been served on the Internet somewhere earlier in the day. Things that were considered breaking news on television before social media, are not really news at all now, unless you consider it news to post a reporter with a microphone outside a crime scene that is inaccessible to them.
In these instances, TV reporting is more speculation than news as none of the reporters have any real access to the stories as they are unfolding. They mostly just run their mouths for a while and say things like, “And now back to you, Dick,” when they’re done.
But they look good
Ever notice TV networks do not hire ugly news reporters? I know ugly is a harsh term, so if we must be politically correct, how about, “appearance-challenged?” I’d use the word beauty in place of appearance, but beauty is still often seen in the eye of the beholder (whereas appearance is less specific or more general, for those still waiting for the point in all this).



Embed from Getty Images

TV news is a vestige of when network television was king of our viewing habits. Disappointingly, the nightly evening news lost sight of both sides of a story years ago (when less attractive people could still find work reporting).
The network evening news has benefit of social media and what were/are the big news items of the day. TV news reporters more often than not rehash what we’ve already seen, read or heard somewhere on the Internet—and not as well I might add.
The anchors of network TV news still say things before a news event we’ve already witnessed somewhere else like, “We warn our audience the following footage is graphic and some viewers may find it disturbing.”
No.
What I find disturbing is the propensity of network TV execs to continue using ploys to capture viewers that no longer work. Like political polls.
I suggest that unless the sample size is rather huge, most polling is too small to be credible. As awkward as that last sentence just read, let me continue by saying poll viewing is entertaining at best and rich with fallacy at its worst. Polls are also staples for many to rest their hats on when forming opinions.
Variation is the enemy of accuracy and quality. Polls are grabbers that don’t really grab us anymore. Not that we want to be grabbed (groped?) by them.
Telling us that upcoming footage is disturbing cannot fool us. We won’t get fooled again, in fact, just like The Who say. So, why bore us with warnings about footage that just auto played for us on Facebook while checking our news feeds this morning?
There is no reason to watch the network news anymore. Period.