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Television News
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  Many complain TV news has been reduced to entertainment and sensationalism, replacing serious stories on issues that matter with stories of celebrities, courtroom trials, fires and crime stories. But a longtime TV reporter and author of a book on broadcast news says that if you look closer, you may be able to learn something from the newscasts you see on TV. Guests
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When TV news gets this bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QKzDNK8I20
...it really becomes the viewer's fault for putting up with it. Media literacy is increasingly difficult in the 21st Century. Young people need to learn how to be informed citizens. Right now, that increasingly means shutting off sound-bite news. I teach my students to use RSS feed readers, comparative analysis, and a mixture of eyewitness and authoritative news to (try to) stay ahead of the game.
This has just been mentioned, but I'd welcome more comment about obtaining balanced information when news sources (Fox and MSNBC have been cited) choose up sides politically and culturally.
Best option at present appears to be the NEWS HOUR on PBS - I assume it is balanced because I find myself annoyed at opinions expressed by guests who don't agree with MY views! but I'm afraid the program doesn't reach the size audience it should.
As an example of serious news, David Hatcher cites their coverage of the Big Dig costs, but that was reported by The Globe. As happens with most real news, WBZ did little more than read the story in the paper and do a 90 second summary overlayed with stock footage video of the big dig.
All real journalism still seems to be done by the print media, and television news copies them. When newspapers are gone, I wonder where TV news will get its stories.
At election time the networks inevitably interview "undecided" voters. The media shows these voters as great thinkers with thoughtful insights. It is true that these are important votes, but these people are basing their decisions on campaign rhetoric, instead of paying some small amount of attention during the year to the policies of politicians, government officials, and the political parties. The media would do well to report on more civic events and those participating in government, rather then promote those who ignore it and vote irresponsibily.