Just because I can finally see better doesn't mean I like everything I see.
That's because it's increasingly difficult to find unbiased sources of relevant information in this severely polarized media environment. I consume most content online because television news increasingly seems like a parody of itself.
Rather than Walter Cronkite's ideal of unbiased news feeds, the Fox and msnbc TV broadcasts are too blatantly ideological to be of any use to me. What I am seeking are the latest facts, not pre-determined opinions.
Until recently, CNN seemed to be the best option for TV news, but the antics of certain of their anchors are so off-putting that I have to switch the channel off whenever they come on.
If I were their journalism professor, these men would get failing grades. They seem to think they can present the latest Trump outrage and then use their facial expressions to bond with an audience that (to them) has no option but to agree with them.
Memo to team: I'm no fan of Trump but seeing your behavior almost makes me sympathetic to him. Have you forgotten that you are supposed to be at least pretending to be journalists? People don't care about your opinions; they rely on you and your producers to dig out the facts and verify them best you can.
And that means whether those facts conform to your ideological slant or not.
But I have no illusion they will listen to a 54-year veteran of the journalism profession who holds to traditional values. CNN management is clearly encouraging this unfortunate behavior, since even some of the more experienced anchors have been getting in on the act.
Most of the time, thankfully, the network's journalists play it straight.
Meanwhile, one journalist who is standing above the rest this election cycle is Chris Wallace of Fox News. He is still going out and doing his own reporting, not just reading the prompter and making duck faces.
This is painful for me. I dislike critiquing my industry colleagues in such harsh terms but for me their behavior has gone too far over the top. Please get back to the basics of presenting the news!
With or without the presenters, the news rolls on. My advice is to ignore the bias of those bringing you the headlines if you can; focus on the content. Much of it is tragic.
* Six months, and a grim milestone: 26th straight week of record-level unemployment claims (WashPo)
* Michiganders urged to stay indoors as officials race to stop the spread of a dangerous mosquito-borne disease (CNN)
* Trump Scorns His Own Scientists Over Virus Data -- A public scolding of the C.D.C. chief was only the latest but perhaps the starkest instance when the president has rejected not just the policy advice of his public health officials but the facts and information that they provided. (NYT)
* Coronavirus Is the ‘No. 1 Global Security Threat,’ Head of U.N. Says -- United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called the coronavirus pandemic the world’s top security threat, and called for greater cooperation in controlling outbreaks and developing an affordable vaccine. (Reuters)
* Multiple women detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleged that a doctor unnecessarily removed their reproductive organs, corroborating earlier reports of sterilizations without consent on migrant women from a detention facility in Georgia. (HuffPost)
* FBI director affirms Russia’s aim to ‘denigrate’ Biden ahead of election (WashPo)
* F.B.I. Director Warns of Russian Interference and White Supremacist Violence -- The testimony contradicted efforts by President Trump and other officials to downplay the threats. (NYT)
* During an appearance on MSNBC, Trump’s former longtime fixer and personal attorney Michael Cohen told host Joy Reid that he predicts Trump, if he loses, will claim the Nov. 3 election was rigged and use Attorney General William Barr to invalidate ballots that he will say are “fake” in order to stay in office. “He doesn’t care about the Constitution of the United States.” (MSNBC)
* WHO warns of 'very serious situation' in Europe, with 'alarming rates' of virus transmission (CNN)
* U.S. Pushes Large Arms Sale to Taiwan, Including Jet Missiles That Can Hit China (NYT)
* Human footprints dating back 120,000 years found in Saudi Arabia (AFP)
* Biden is favored to win the election -- We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible. Biden 76%, Trump 24%. (538)
* Pandemic isolation has killed thousands of Alzheimer’s patients while families watch from afar (WashPo)
***
So tell me the truth
Even if it hurts me, even if it's ugly
My heart is open
Tell me the truth
Without the self-protection
Love can mend what's broken
In me and you
Tell me the truth
Even if it hurts me, even if it's ugly
My heart is open
Tell me the truth
Without the self-protection
Love can mend what's broken
In me and you
-30-
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