Why 24-Hour News Channels Will Make You Stupid

I whole-heartedly believe 24-hours news networks were the worst thing to happen to news since, well, talk radio. It's easy to immediately point to Fox News as a faux news channel, but I don't even think they are the worst offender. Watching CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN Headline News, and of course Fox, as a primary source of news will provide a brief overview of world and local events, but will not offer intelligent insight into those events. These channels are forced to compete with one another for your attention for 24 HOURS A DAY. Consequently, they fill their time covering irrelevant celebrity scandals and freaking people out. Everyday these channels provide hours of late night fodder for the Daily Show and The Soup. From Rick Santelli yelling on CNBC to the cast of Fox and Friends deep-fat frying Obama's budget, the Daily Show writers pretty much have their work done for them.

The truly frightening thing is that these channels are not just a major source of news for many, many people, but providing "insight" and "analysis" into those news stories and affecting viewers' opinions. Veiled as news channels offering commentary, these channels are little more than entertainment channels. Say you want about E!, but at least it's honest about its objectives: making you care about the Kardashians and Denise Richards. CNN reports on the same stories, but calls it "Breaking News" complete with a news ticker and colorful graphics. CNN was so bombarded with its heavy-hitting stories it had to create CNN Headline News, a channel dedicated to providing viewers snippets of 5 minute news clips.

So where should Americans turn for news? First, turn off the television. Next, turn on your computer and discover a whole word of podcasts. You can listen in your car, when you exercise, while at work, while cooking dinner, cleaning, etc and they are FREE. NPR and This American Life offer intelligent insight into world events, including international news and the economic crisis. The Planet Money podcasts are particularly good: they explain how banks work, the Treasury's plan, the Stimulus package, etc. Finally, magazines and newspapers still provide news. Picking up your local daily newspaper gives you insight into state, local, and national events as well as supports local news. Even Time is good - and it's made by the same company that makes CNN. Somehow something is lost when translated to a 24-hour news television station. The Economist is an amazing publication, although it is a bit pricey and dense for a weekly magazine. Fortunately, there are a lot of free sources online: for example, you can read most New York Times stories and op/eds online.

Television is an amazing medium and offers the viewer the entire package in a comprehensive news story: sound and visual. Unfortunately, when forced to provide programming for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, being more outlandish than your competitor brings in the viewers. Sometimes less is more. You're better off reading a newspaper and watching the nightly news than watching days of useless garbage and holograms on MSNBC and Fox.

Don't be stupid. Turn off these channels. Your brain will thank you.