Anyone else bothered by news hosts and guests who shout over each other so none of them can be heard?

Question

Also when the host says, "we have only 30 seconds for your response" and then fills that time up so the guest has no time to respond?

Answer 1

Having been trained as a journalist in my military days during the 1960s, the pap that is labeled "news" these days is an abomination. Since when is opinion considered to be good journalism? I can't even abide right-wing Rupert Murdoch's FOX News, which pushes a propaganda-driven agenda for right-wing ideologies that are in violation of the ideals upon which this nation was founded as set forth in our Constitution. Australian media mogul Murdoch, with his intolerance for Democrats and democracy as a whole, and his fear of homosexuality to the point of fanaticism, has been allowed to gain far too much control over the U.S. media outlets and wield far too much power in our government. Antitrust violations? My idea of good reporting is Michelle Goldberg, Seymour M. Hersh (both investigative reporters who deal only in uncovered and verified facts), and the PBS News Hour with Jim Laher. I tend to get a kick out of Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" and he tends to be a bit more polite to his guests than most, plus a Democratic slant is refreshing after the 12 or more years of right-wing dominance in broadcast media. The whole "sound bite" approach to soliciting responses is incredibly dissatisfying and highly annoying. I agree with you. There are times, too, when TV news (like MSNBC or CNN) is influenced via ad purchases, such as when Lockheed-Martin and Boeing (manufacturers of the F-22 planes President Obama and Defense Secretary Gates want to eliminate) took out ads shortly after the intent to cut the order for 300 more @ $191,000,000 per plane. Both channels became decidedly negative in their reporting on President Obama's initiatives and had a Republican-only guest who was able to say "Democrats are weak on defense; Obama is putting our nation at risk" without any proof that this was so---especially in light of the fact that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is a REPUBLICAN! Shouldn't the ad dollars received by the networks be made public along with the lobbyists'/CEO's/company's names so we, the people, can determine if these ad revenues have influenced the balance of their reporting? I also report to the whitehouse.gov website when the ad from a company facing regulation or change of income is followed by change in tone among the respective hosts or "reporters" from positive to innuendo/implied negative.

Answer 2

Oh, sweetie, you are speaking to the choir. That annoys me to no end....and so do a lot of other things.



--Guests who obviously have pre-scripted answers to questions, and are intent on using them, whether or not they are appropriate answers for the questions they are asked.



--Talk show guests who have to make those litte "quote marks" with their fingers, to let us know they are being sarcastic or ironic. Hey, we're smart enought to catch it without your help, OK?



--This mainly pertains to sports coverage. Interviewees who insist on referring to themselves in the third person...for example



Host: Have you given any thought that you might be traded before the deadline in a couple weeks.



Me: Not really, Stan. Yeah, Yinzer Power is a Pirate, but even more, Yinzer Power is a ballplayer. Any decision on a trade is management's and not Yinzer Power's....blah, blah, blah.



Oh, and one more...sportscasters who constantly use the word "athleticism." GUYS!!!! THERE IS NO SUCH WORD!!!!! The proper term is "athletic ability..." use it.



Gee, I wonder what set me off like THAT?

Answer 3

You are referring to opinion and commentary. News is objective and fact based. TV is a forum the gives us 7-8 minutes of content and then 3 minutes of commercials. TV has rarely devoted enough time and talent into informing the American viewer about critical issues and challenges, it's as if their intention is to keep us in the dark and feed us s**t.

Answer 4

Yes.

Also guests who ramble on until time is up and NEVER even come close to an answer to the question.

Answer 5

Nothing makes me change the channel quicker. Unless it's the same thing, but with dueling partisan strategists. Ugh! The talk show equivalent to "professional wrestling."

Answer 6

Yes, it is very annoying and they seem to do it quite a bit.

Answer 7

That occasionally annoys me.