6. 24 Hour News Cycle Ushers In Sensationalism
We live in an age where we can catch someone's version of the news at any time. But, is it worth it? With countless news stations all running 24 hours a day, there's going to be some filler. What we've been left with is news stations in competition with each other for our constant attention. When you have more channels than ever before, all dedicated to filling 24 hours a day with news, it's not going to be pretty. Sensationalism. There it is and it's what our news has become. Before the arguments start let me say that I understand sensationalism has always existed in the media. What makes it more noticeable now and also more dangerous is the fact that they never had the amount of airtime to fill that they do now. News stories quickly devolve into sordid story lines that would be more at home in a soap opera. Every event is the biggest or most severe we've ever seen and it's almost always the negativity in the story that gains the most airtime. Be it a natural disaster or a murder, our news coverage is quickly losing perspective on what their job was to begin with -- delivering the facts.