Lately, CNN's been trying to be "cool." They've started utilizing websites like Facebook and Twitter in their programming, presumably in an attempt to gain the younger audience that cable news typically lacks. It's STUPID. During the riots in Iran, they actually started taking information from random and unverifiable posts on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, with a tag in the lower-right-hand corner that read "UNCONFIRMED REPORT." Apparently that's their version of a "Get Out of Journalistic Integrity Free" card.
I can understand why they'd want to make this change; after all, TV news is technically meant to entertain, not to inform. If they were honesty trying to inform the audience, they wouldn't give hours upon hours to every single celebrity baby custody battle. Some outlets, like Fox News, have found roundabout ways of doing that, by reporting on how horrible it is that other outlets are focusing on trivial issues. That way, they can simultaneously get high ratings because they're talking about those (non-)issues, while still maintaining their own image and discrediting their competitors. Very sneaky, Bill O'Rielly. Very sneaky...
But honestly, the new "sensationalistic" CNN is slightly obnoxious. Seriously, MSNBC's been trying that approach for years, and they're at the bottom of the cable news ladder.
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