Who are you making news for? Small minds who talk about people. Average minds who talk about current events. Great minds who talk about ideas.
If you went to J-school (I did not), your roots will point to people like Jacob Riis and Nellie Bly. They paved the way for many more notables including Walter Cronkite and (my personal favorite) Andy Rooney. Their legacy is now being disgraced with coverage like the world’s obsession with Kate Middleton, anchors who throw temper-tantrums because of a network hire, and most importantly the “Who’s horse is bigger?” by asking ones net worth.
Before Princess Kate was forcibly outed to tell the world she has cancer, she asked for privacy but instead the rumor mill took over. While I understand she is a public servant and the dynamic with Royals is different in the United Kingdom than in the United States, why does the US care so much? Does no one remember 1776? Our founding fathers would be appalled at the coverage she received.
Not to mention the disrespect tabloids showed toward the firm before the outlets all got hand-foot-in-mouth disease for being so rude. She is not a Prime Minister, she is not the Queen nor a President. She is just a figurehead who needed time alone with her family. Is that too much to ask?
This brings us to Ronna McDaniel and NBC. The reaction from both NBC and MSNBC anchors was so scathing, you would have thought the DNC hired McDaniel as its next political consultant. While her tenure lasted less than a week, the damage this leaves on the network will last for decades. Not only does it show anchors more power the executives at NBC it shows they are not welcoming to diversity of thought.
You don’t have to agree with your political analysis you just have to let each side spew political talking points and moderate the debate. Your opinion as an anchor should not matter. Since it clearly matters who you have on perhaps some at the outlet are favoring one side over another. This is damaging and the public is now seeing it first hand.
The worst offender over the last 2 weeks was journalist and nepo-baby Chris Wallace. I don’t particularly like calling individual people out. I believe its bad form. However this egregious overstep of journalistic questioning is just wrong. Asking Larry David, or any celebrity for that matter, how much he (or she) is worth is just classless. I get it, your dad though it was a great question. Don’t be your dad, be yourself, and have a little more manners.
Here’s what coverage should look like instead:
Full Measure: Water Wars. Since 2021 Sharyl Attkisson has been keeping an eye on America’s most precious commodity, water. The series continued this past February with a look at how many foreign countries are buying land in Arizona, using unregulated water taps, which syphon the liquid out at 4,300 gallons per minute, to grow crops which they then send back to their native homeland.
Techopedia: Cyber-hacks and data breaches. The little known outlet is big in the tech community. They are one of a few outlets who keep track of how many data breaches occur every year and how much it costs the global economy.
In 2024, AT&T, Twitter, Meta, Linkedin, Dropbox, Bank of America, and Microsoft Azure, have all been hacked. Additional reporting from Reuters shows America’s water and wastewater facilities have also been attacked and breached. This is the next level of war, its not going to be dropping nukes in New York City it is the largest case of revenge of the nerds you will ever see. Turning a blind eye to over 10 major hacks and security breaches in less than 3 months will render trouble for the future of the country.
Instead of asking who you are making news for instead ask the following:
Is your credibility worth the clickbait?
Small minds click on stories about people.
Average minds click on stories about current events.
Great minds click on stories with ideas that may change the world.
The news media has gone from “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel,” to “Never argue with someone who has unlimited bandwidth.” Our media today is littered with small news, for small minds. We rarely see both sides of the coin when it comes to current events. Additionally many outlets lack the wherewithal to provide substantial stories about ideas which very well could change the world.
So let us do better. Enough with the obsession with famous and royal people, they deserve privacy just like you. Instead of throwing a hissy fit over who your new political analyst is, try to learn a little respect for the other side because at the end of the day both parties are self-satisfying gremlins. Most importantly, if you, a journalist, are going to ask someone how much they are worth I hope you are willing to answer that most uncomfortable question yourself. It’s not only rude, it shows you’re reporting for small minds and that is a dime a dozen.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
