The New Definition of Media

Hello My Dear Friends. I remember a day when the media enjoyed a well earned respect.  The Fourth Estate. Journalists exemplified integrity, impartiality, intelligence and honesty. Boy, are those days gone! This latest tragedy has shown us just how bad the media can be. It's embarrassing. Misinformation, supposition, opinion and downright nonsense is all we seem to be getting. The captor is an admitted news junkie. We've been watching nonstop coverage of these horrific events. Here's a little hint for media outlets. If your hour long broadcast consists of 50% retraction, 30% reaction and 15% review, you're wasting 95% of our time. Shame on you. If I hear one more reporter start off by saying "we have been unable to confirm this but..." I swear, I'm going to blow. What has happened to this once fine institution? I've learned to deal with local media quoting Twitter and Facebook as if they were "sources". It's local media. But, when "reporters" on major networks say things like "excuse the confusion but there is so much information coming in..." Seriously? Isn't collecting and processing information your job? One network anchor today went into an extended explanation of "West New York, New Jersey". She said, "it's very confusing because the town is called West New York but it's in the state of New Jersey. Really? You find that confusing? Most people don't. Here's another flash for you. Mexico, New York is in the United States! It's really confusing because when you hear Mexico you think, well, Mexico. One "reporter" interviewing a former classmate of "Suspect #2" asked "we heard he was a wrestler in high school. Was he any good"? I know that was the first question on my mind. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. Another "reporter" actually started off his report by saying "Here's what we think we know right now". This insanity is not limited to the broadcast media. Yesterday's local paper had an article on how to build a bomb on one page and an ad for a sale on pressure cookers on the next! Are you kidding me? You can't make this stuff up. So I have come up with a new acronym for Media:
Mindless
Egos
Delivering
Incoherent
Assessments
We may not know exactly what is going on but we do know that our brothers and sisters in Massachusetts need our prayers and support. On that, we can all agree.
Po