Youtube.com is the greatest thing ever introduced to the classroom!
In my journalism class, my professor showed us a four year old clip of Jon Stewart as a guest on Crossfire.
From the clip, I gathered that shows like Crossfire add to the smoke screen that politicians have when it comes to avoiding and addressing issues that citizens want answered clearly. They don’t provide civil discourse and they invoke irritability and impatience when it comes to many learning about politics.
Stewart best said on Crossfire, “We need help from the media and they’re hurting us.”
Shows like Crossfire add to the smoke screen that politicians have when it comes to avoiding and addressing issues that citizens want to be addressed. They don’t provide civil discourse and they invoke irritability and impatience when it comes to us learning about politics.
It really made a connection with the book I’m reading for the same class called, The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect
I highlighted from the book a quote that said, “The central purpose of journalism is to tell the truth so that people will have the information that they need to be sovereign” (pg 14).
They’re doing the public a disservice as “journalists”. Between the yelling, ahems! and the excuse me(s) (repeated so many damn times) I’ve learned nothing. The show doesn’t provide me with anything to make a better decision at all, except when it comes to watching the news- don’t watch Crossfire.
With everyone campaigning and the presidency up for grabs this year it’s so important for people to learn about the candidates and their platforms. The last eight years have been a trip (down south many would say) so don’t look for theatrics, look for information. If you want theatrics let a nation of uniformed people take to voting; then you’ll have your tragedy.
