This is an ominous sign. After eight years of the Bush Administration’s War On Science, it only seems fitting that CNN has decided to close their Science, Space and Tech unit, with CNN deciding that Anderson Cooper’s Planet In Peril is enough coverage as it is for science and technology. It doesn’t make sense to me to pile yet more duties on an already overworked journalist at CNN who seems to be everywhere when a news story breaks, whether it be politics, natural disasters, celebrity gossip and more.
At a time when the country is not churning out enough scientists, and science funding is on the wane, the last thing one of the world’s largest news agencies should do is cut a division that had only 6 producers and 1 reporter, Miles O’Brien, that covered a wide array of scientific and technological stories around the world. Unfortunately, programming about celebrity gossip and scandals bring in the big bucks, whereas stories on science and technology are seen as dry and unprofitable.
The post-election era is less than a month old, and it seems that the media is in search of the next big story to cover. After two years of covering a dramatic Presidential primary and general election, the media needs some sort of conflict to report on in order to increase its ratings.
The customary “honeymoon” for president-elect Obama is still in effect, considering the positive reviews in regards to his cabinet selections thus far, and his attempts at filling the leadership void in the current economic crisis less than two months before moving into the White House. But I can’t help get the feeling that the media is sending strong hints about what conflicts they’ll be looking for once Obama assumes office on January 20. Already CNN and Politico have written about possible infighting among Democrats once they take power. Even the headlines are very similar (ie. Dems vs. Dems) Of course, we’ve seen Democrats suffer pratfalls before, and it can happen again, right? Is it what they want? Time will only tell. I will add articles to this post as they appear in the media regarding Democratic infighting. My prediction is that we’ll be seeing a lot more of this, whether it’s stoking or reality.
Recent Comments