Broadcaster says serious news at risk
By JAN SJOSTROM, Palm Beach Daily News, Thursday, January 26, 2006
'"Truth no longer matters in the context of politics and, sadly, in the context of cable news," said Aaron Brown, /former anchor of CNN's NewsNight/ {...} He's shocked "by how unkind our world has become," he said. E-mail and talk radio appear to have given people the license to say anything, regardless of how cruel or false it may be, he said. Important issues, such as the prosecution of the war in Iraq at home and abroad, are being clouded over by "mud-wrestling" that skirts substance {...} Many Americans on the left and the right aren't interested in the truth, but simply want news that confirms their viewpoints, he said. "You'd think that it's no more complex than good vs. evil," he said.
Journalists have fallen short in presenting important news in ways that allow viewers to see how it matters in their lives. But viewers must take up the battle as well, he said. "It's not enough to say you want serious news. You have to watch it. It isn't enough to say you want serious debate. You have to engage in it."'