Yahoo as a news source? Charter? Comcast? Google?
The "news" these sites assemble on the same page is a combination of AP material, Gossipy "entertainment news" and ads written to look like the rest of the pablum on the page.
This process got underway way back when the "Entertainment Tonight" type shows came in vogue. They were more entertainment than news, and it wasn't long before consumers failed to see the difference. Meanwhile, the real news programs changed.
The consultants took over and decided the best way to increase audience was to do only the stories viewers rated highly. Radio news is, of course, virtually nonexistent.
And then came the National Enquirer and friends squeezing actual news in between the Aliens live in the White House basement! "features".
When was the first time the MSM picked up a story from one of those rags and ran with it? Gary Condit? Clinton's cigar? Monica's black dress? Wilbur Mills and the stripper.
I'll be teaching an Electronic News Gathering (ENG) course at Trenholm College here in Montgomery again in January, and one of the first pieces of business is to explain what news IS. That's becoming a harder and harder thing to do these days when a tweet alone becomes justification for a story.
[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of this blog.]
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