Life imitates Simpsons, once again
Welch says CNN is "the early loser of the media war," and it's hard to argue with that:
When I turn to Fox -- which I am not normally inclined toward -- I might see "The O'Reilly Factor" listed, but instead there are live anchors and reporters, doing their thing. On CNN, it says "Connie Chung" or "Larry King"-- and sure enough, the goofy old gizzards are out there, interviewing Bob Woodward and otherwise straining to act serious.
My British wife, used to the clipped detachment of Channel 4's John Snow, can't get over how the news presenters speak as though they're actually fighting the war themselves. Whereas Snow might say, solemnly, that "British and American forces took Basra today," Sheppard Smith, with the explosive vigor of a guy trying to sell you a direct marketing method on an infomercial, exclaims "We took Basra! Yes we did! With our awesome firepower!" (There's nothing wrong with the "military we," I suppose, but it's clearly a deliberate policy like those I noted in that old post: they all do it, though some of them, Greta for example, seem a bit uncomfortable. It can seem awkward and, well, lacking in gravitas: but it by God gets the job done, as they might put it.) And why are they always shouting, my wife will ask? But then she'll ask that about everyone speaking above a whisper.
I prefer the British model because it has more content. But there is no content-heavy option on the American news menu, and Fox is marginally better than the others on offer. For better or worse, the Fox people realize now, as they did during the Afghanistan campaign and as CNN has yet to figure out, that the newswatching public wants all war, all the time, and wants our side to win, and that no amount of pandering to sentiment will alienate them. For better or worse.
Posted by Dr. Frank at March 21, 2003 05:40 AM | TrackBack