Over the years, news and opinion have begun to blend, providing a gray zone as Stephanie Ruhle, host of the “11th Hour” on MSNBC, discussed the changes on the latest episode of the “Math & Magic” podcast with iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman.
Ruhle stated that viewers have become savvier, letting news organizations to work additionally in the grey zone between the black-and-white of strict news and opinion.
“Merely providing information is limited, and it’s not necessarily what people need from news organizations because you can get basic information from a lot of places,” Ruhle said. “I think there’s something more than just straight news that doesn’t take you all the way to bias.”
The MSNBC host noted her experience growing up with news and opinion blending as people in her family listened to former radio host Rush Limbaugh.
“My grandparents were religious listeners of Rush Limbaugh, because he was a radio personality who shared some of their political ideology,” Ruhle said.
“But they didn’t turn to Rush Limbaugh to get their news. That was Walter Cronkite. And those are two different things. I think those are two valuable things that exist in news and entertainment and in opinion. But they should be marked for what they are, and audiences should understand what they are.”
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
