Click on the above link to read a bit of “earth shattering news.” Clearly this is not important news, and ranks low on a list of vital information. Despite my condemnation, you will note this was posted on a BBC World News website, a well respected news agency. When I came across this article, several thoughts entered my mind. On one level, I’m curious how this woman fed herself, or how she got dressed. Daily existence must have been a real challenge. On a more practical level, I thought about the pointlessness of the article. This was information I really did not need to know; moreover, it’s not really that interesting. I am a big believer in our 1st Amendment, and we need the freedom of the press. It’s what makes our democracy so awesome! However, should the press use discretion when reporting news? Maybe or maybe not.
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were two reporters for the Washington Post and through dogged hard work and luck, uncovered information that led to the downfall of President Nixon. Here I’m speaking of the Watergate scandal. These two reporters went from reporting the news to making the news. Referring back to the silly article about the woman’s nails, what makes information news worthy? Ponder this question, and post your thoughts about what information our news agencies should report.
