(Untitled)

[axver]

Are there depths to which current affairs shows will not stoop? An ad on TV for a recent episode of Australian current affairs show Today Tonight: "for the first time, Asian immigration [to Australia] has overtaken European immigration, creating a country within a country. What does this mean for future generations? Plus, the call to stop the

Comments

[chariadeone]

I think the media generally seems to encourage all the tension that is currently brewing. It gives them more stories. Unfortunately I don't think you can expect better from the current affairs shows. They love being "shocking" regardless of the validity of the story.

[axver]

I watch ads for current affairs shows for comedic value. The last time I tried to watch an actual show to laugh at it, though, I found my brain hurt too much as a result. And I don't like to miss SBS News anyway.

I agree that the media plays a role in fostering tension. I know some people who have fallen victim to thinking certain communities "hate" Australia or Western values or some such nonsense. Luckily, such perspectives are - in my experience, anyway - not hard to change.

[hairouna]

The American media does that too.

[axver]

I imagine it's a failing the media worldwide has. Who cares about good reporting? It's all about the ratings.

[hairouna]

Because of where I live and what my cable company has decided to supply us, the main news channels I get are CNN, Fox News and BBC World. The things that pass as news on CNN and Fox regularly annoy me. The BBC's much better than them in that regard (and I suppose that it may be fairer to compare CNN International with BBC World), but it has its moments of dizziness too.

[axver]

From my admittedly limited experience, I'd share that sentiment. I was flabbergasted by the US media while I was in the States. It was at the height of some "runaway bridge" scandal in Georgia. Oh NO, some woman faked a disappearance to avoid her wedding. Nothing more important could possibly be happening the world, huh?

What I've seen of the BBC has been usually pretty solid and their website is one of the very best. I will always maintain, however, that the single best TV channel for news that I have ever encountered is Australia's SBS. Sure, it's not a dedicated news network, but their news broadcasts are the most comprehensive I've ever seen. Elections in Sierra Leone make their headlines.