The Insipid Vox Pop of Network News

When the networks try to interact with us, the result is too often condescending. They don't even give us the respect to enter into a dialog and answer the questions and challenges we raise.
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When the networks try to interact with us, the result is too often condescending: They tell us to give them our news images (rather than just linking to us). The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric puts on a tightly controlled 'Free Speech' segment but quickly tires of hearing from us. Or they read insipid letters from us -- or out-of-context blog posts -- and act is if they have heard the voice of the people. They haven't. And they don't even give us the respect to enter into a dialog and answer the questions and challenges we raise. In the video clip below, I show you excerpts from the letters Brian Williams read last week on the NBC Nightly News and add my two cents:

Note that the BBC is doing this differently, inviting the people formerly known as viewers to make their own films and put them up online -- on
or
, as I did here -- and send them the link. The Beeb's editors to pick the ones they like and then we, the people, will pick the ones that make it to air. That is a step in the right direction.

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