News sources

From what sources do Americans learn what is happening in the world? Newsweek has gone out of business. Time Magazine laid off 500 more people this week. The New York Times had to be rescued by a Mexican billionaire, but still is laying off people and closing down their environmental section. The only reason most people still subscribe to or buy local newspapers is to clip coupons or see what's on sale.

A lot of people get their news from talk radio, and the most popular programs are right-of-center, with the exception of NPR, which doesn't have commercials and is heavily subsidized by the federal government, which is deeply in debt.

President Obama singles out Fox News to criticize, although Fox News is far and away the most popular cable news channel. All the others: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and the big city newspapers, have become mere conduits, fused with the Obama administration.

I think many people get their news from their local t.v. stations. They mostly want to know the weather forecast, but, here in Colorado many are also interested in news about the local sports teams, especially the Denver Broncos. The Broncos brought glory to Colorado in the Elway years, and appear poised to do it again during the Peyton Manning years. The news advertises a promo near the end of whatever program people are watching, and some percentage of people continue to sit on the couch and watch long enough to see the weather forecast or watch the sports highlights.

Then, of course, there is the internet, which offers a plethora of sources, and where competition and innovation is thriving. For example, tonight the Daily Caller has a story about New Jersey Senator Menendez going to the Dominican Republic to have sex with under-age girls. None of the old media has touched the subject with a ten foot pole. As you can see by my ever-growing blogroll on the right side of this page, I love learning what is happening in the world by reading as many blogs as I can each day.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go, because I just heard that terrorists have attacked our embassy in Turkey, and I want to find out as much as I can about it. Hillary has assured us that security precautions are being implemented world-wide, and Barack has assured us that Al Qaeda is on the run. Those are the stories the old media has been telling, but since I get my news from reading sites on the internet, I know those stories are not true, and truth is what I am interested in.