You might expect one of the famous “big three” television anchors to express dismay that fewer people are relying on traditional sources for their news.
In the case of Tom Brokaw, you would be wrong. The new TIME prints this exchange:
Do you think it’s a problem that fewer Americans now get their news from traditional sources? ?Max Jacobson, New Haven, Conn.
We’re
better off. We have so many more choices. What happens is, of course,
that the squeaky wheel continues to get attention. I have a little tool
at my house ? you should get one ? it’s called the remote control. You can
go from those channels that are showing too much of Anna Nicole Smith
to, say, BBC News.
Of course, we can quibble with his choice of alternatives to 24/7 celebutante coverage. But at least the man’s not lamenting the demise of the unifying power of the old-school mainstream media.
