MSN = Mostly Stupid Nonsense
So I'm at work the other day installing Micro$oft Windows (yeah I spelled it with a $, what are you going to do about it?) After installing, I needed to load up the web browser to download updates, you know the drill. Part of the experience for me when I do Windows installations is that it is the only time I ever see msn.com, which is of course the default homepage. I'm always quick to change it to something else. It is, without fail, the most inane web portal conceivable. One of their favorite things to do is to compile lists, such as "20 ways to shop for groceries," or "13 shoes for the shoe-conscious woman," or "25 ways to list things." Sometimes I think their target demographic is 40-something women who have suffered brain injuries. Anyway, at the top of the page was a list of the day's features. I list them here unaltered, in their original order (Google cached page):
Today on MSN:
-Teen saves woman who once saved him
-Crispy chicken nuggets
-World capitals quiz
-Congress cracks down on Medicaid program
Teen Saves Woman: This one is tabloidy, but "feel-good."
Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Ok, I like those, who doesn't?
World capitals quiz: A little "junior high," but knowledge-based, I respect that.
Last on the list: A story about Congress' denial of funds to seniors for nursing home care.
Wait a second, so you mean to tell me that ACTUAL news items are eligible for this list? Is there a rule they have to come after stories about fried food? I guess I should just be thankful that something relevant showed up on the page at all. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with them putting the elderly after chicken nuggets, even if the latter are more tasty.
posted by Kid Charles at 3:16 PM
1 Comments:
Good post.
I think it proves that news has no place in commercial media. Commercial media is there only to make a profit, and real news does not facitate the selling of goods. NPR and PBS are the only remaining nationwide, large-scale news outlets. The major television networks do about ten minutes of news a day, sandwiched between, depending on the particular network, "news" about other shows on the network, "news" about products being sold by advertisers or by companies who are owned by the same parent company, etc. I fear that if NPR and PBS were gone, as seems to be the goal of the current administration, that ten minutes of news on commercial networks would dissapear as well, as it seems to be there only out of a sense of obligation. Essentially, they feel like these real news stories are covered by other networks, and while they are not directly profitable, they would loose ratings if they were to get the reputation of not having news, compared to others.
My point is that news is not profitable, and while currently networks carry a minimal amount of it to keep a reputation and compete with other networks, that is a passing phase. In a free market, products that are not profitable are always eventually phased out.
Tuesday, 14 February, 2006
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