Tom Fenton Of CBS Laments State of Journalism In New Book

[Tace]

snip

A veteran foreign correspondent recently retired from CBS News after 34 years, Fenton now is sounding off about TV's neglect of global news, and the resulting benightedness of the audience he says TV journalism has so ill-served.

He has compiled his concerns in a new book, "Bad News - The Decline of Reporting, The Business of News, and the Danger To Us All" (ReganBooks).

Its central thesis: The fall of communism coincided with growing concentration of U.S. media ownership. The nation became complacent about external threats, and less vigilant. So did news media, as their corporate bosses found it hard to justify the expense of pricey foreign bureaus and legions of correspondents stationed around the globe - especially when wall-to-wall coverage of a domestic spectacle like the O.J. Simpson trial attracted far more eyeballs than a complex story from a faraway land.

snip

"As surely as 9/11 pointed up the myriad failures of official agencies in Washington, it also revealed the abject failure of the news media," he writes. "We had failed to warn the American public of the storm clouds approaching our shores. And in failing to do so, we betrayed the trust of the public."

http://start.earthlink.net/article/ent?guid=20050317/42390ed0_3ca6_1552620050317-1217393418

[BrklynLiberal]

1. He was on Jon Stewart Tues nite. Very clear, bright and eloquent.

Hope he makes more talk show stops, but considering what he is saying about the news establishment, I wonder if he will be asked to many of the talking head "news" shows.
Guess those who really care about what he has to say will have to go out and buy his book
I am going to cross post this to General Discussion if you don't mind.

EDIT: I put it in Editorials and other Articles. I believe it deserves more attention than it might receive in this forum. Hope that is ok with you.

[Tace]

3. A-OK -- Thanks

[pretzel4gore]

2. ex mediawhore....??

oh, i see...he's looking for a better deal!

[Tace]

4. He Seems Sincere

[pretzel4gore]

5. don't mind me....

i have no idea of Fenton's situation, and like the old book say 'judge not, or you'll be (?)....i'm sure the presidente knows how the proverb goes....but it's not to condemn people w/out proof etc...cbs is a vast organization, and while i recall fenton's name, he's no dan quayle! and maybe he is sincere.