No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle [Hardcover]

This is a subject I've been annoyed/frustrated about for ages, so its great to see a book like this published. Basically, the two authors - one who worked for CNN, the other for Los Angles Times - believe that part of the reason our society is in danger of going down the pan is that news media is no longer about "news" any more. It consists almost entirely of opinion, speculation, and ridiculous combinations of those two, presented and disguised as news. The authors chart the history and development of news media, but focus very much on two things that have changed the landscape entirely: the birth of cable news, and the creation of the internet. I should admit that most of the jokes in the chapter about "blogging" probably went over my head, but this is an incredibly readable book about journalism, truth, dignity, and how on earth our politicians are supposed to function properly when there's an endless screaming demand for opinion and instant answers to everything.

Is there anyway to stop this all from spiraling out of control? The authors aren't sure, but they do have one or two suggestions at the end of the book. But do yourself a favor and read this book: its alarming, and terrifying at times, but it will make you look at news media in a whole new light.

NEWSTRITIONAL FACTS
Serving Size.................................................... 8 hours
News................................................................ 26 minutes (6%)
News Analysis................................................18 minutes (4%)
Opinion.............................................................128 minutes (30%)
Rumor and Innuendo.....................................28 minutes (7%)
Speculation.......................................................84 minutes (20%)
Idle Chatter.......................................................16 minutes (4%)
Self-Flattery........................................................20 minutes (5%)
Complete Bullshit............................................100 minutes (24%)

This interesting graphic from the final chapter of "No Time To Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-Hour News Cycle" illustrates what the "newstritional" label might look like if the 24 hour cable news networks were required to honestly list the content of their programming. It looks fairly accurate to me. According to co-authors Howard Rosenberg (TV critic for the Los Angeles Times) and Charles S. Feldman (a former CNN reporter) the quality of the product being offered by cable news outlets has steadily deteriorated over the past decade or more. Clearly the lines between fact and opinion, news and commentary have been blurred. Opinionated hosts, panels of "talking heads", reporters talking to other reporters and network generated polling has replaced the thoughtful and diligent pursuit of newsworthy stories. The moguls at these networks have evidently determined that in this is the stuff that audiences really want to see. Sadly, they appear to be correct. The "dumbing down" of America continues.
But the problems discussed in "No Time To Think" are not indigenous to cable news alone. It is certainly no secret that many major newspapers in this country are in imminent danger of folding. These newsrooms are just a shell of their former selves. Staffs have been slashed across the board and journalistic standards substantially lowered. Rosenberg and Feldman cite a number of cases of inaccurate reporting by newspapers. It is all very discouraging. And of course no discussion about the inadequacies of the 24 hour news cycle would be complete without taking a long, hard look at what is going down on the internet. Here in this totally unregulated environment misinformation is disseminated at blinding speed. While there are certainly many responsible websites and bloggers out there they appear to be vastly outnumbered by those who are not. On many of these sites rumor and innuendo rule the day. No time is taken to verify information and as a result the reputations of businesses, institutions and individuals can be ruined in just a matter of minutes. Very scary!
"No Time To Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle" is a sobering look at what journalism has become in America. It is not a pretty picture. Personally, I opted out of the cable news shows quite a while ago. I really don't give a damn what Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann think about anything. Likewise I have absolutely no interest in celebrity news and much of the other fluff being offered up by these networks. I have come to the conclusion that my time is far better spent reading books. When cable news and the major networks return to the idea of "getting it right" rather than "getting it first" maybe I will give them another look. Unfortunately, Howard Rosenberg and Charles Feldman see very little evidence that this will happen any time soon. Recommended reading.

Ironic that this is about the speed of the news cycle - as this is quite a fast read. Very interesting, and by two very qualified authors. Main issue was there was some appalling editing (blatant spelling errors!), and didn't go into too much depth. Was also very US centric. However - very interesting analysis of the news cycle.