what exactly is news?

marjorie says...

It's all over the "news" this morning about the new O.J. Simpson book coming out in which he "hypothetically" describes how the murder would have happened "if" he had killed his wife Nicole.

You know, this book is utterly crass but that will be covered plenty so I won't go into it here.

The most interesting thing to me about this is how its covered as "news." There are certain news sources that tell us point blank what it really is, like this Washington Post article, by Lisa de Moraes:

"And, in one of those incredible coincidences that make covering the TV industry so fulfilling, the book is being published under the Regan imprint, headed by Judith Regan, who will conduct the interview with O.J. on Fox. And her publishing outfit, ReganBooks, is a division of HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp. -- which also owns Fox!"

Ok, just to make sure everyone gets that:

News Corp. owns Fox and the publisher of this book, Regen Imprint. The book is coming out just in time for Christmas sales and Fox is promoting the book under the guise of "News" when it airs an "interview" with O.J. Simpson, as news...

There are other news sources that give us this tidbit as well, and to be honest, I don't really know how its being covered on the T.V. "news" outlets of choice for most Americans. Please, somebody tell me.

What is news really, for me, is the fact that so many "news" outlets are covering this as "news"...rather than the corporate money making venture that it is...just like any new product coming in time for our Christmas love affair with material goods. Just skim through all the "news" articles today and you'll see what I mean. In one after the next, the reporter never mentions the money angle...see for yourself here, here, and here.

Fox represents the utter corruption of the concept of News. Here we have a station that mixes shows with so-called news "commentators" and "experts" who are blatantly biased with these types of completely gross entertainment pieces masquerading as news. What kills me is how it reverberates throughout the "news" world, with bonafide outlets simply picking up the schtick and running with it.