[Talk Host]

Tonight I happen to be looking at the web site of a local TV station. These were the headlines that were listed. This was not supermarket tabloid stuff, this is a mainstream television station that has been on the air since I was a little kid.

• Were Students Victims Of Teacher Charged With Child Porn?
  
• Defense Rests In Trial Of Former Teacher Accused Of Letting Cats Starve
  
• Deputy Not Indicted For Zapping Grandmother With Taser
  
• Loogie Lawsuit: Deputy Sues Over Spit On Burger
  
• Man Gets Jail Time For Dumping Pregnant Dog In Snow Storm
  
• Naked Man Runs From Apartment Fire, Gets Arrested

[salpal]

What has happened to the human in our humanity?

So much abuse, hate and avarice.....

I wonder if these things have always happened or we are just hearing about them because of advanced communications. I am sure that abuse has always existed, but we did not know about it. Do you think it has increased? If so, why?

[Russ_Boston]

I think it would be naive to think that, after millions of years on the earth, man would 'all of a sudden' become completely morally corrupt. My guess is that our communications have allowed us to learn about all the abuses around the world. Almost mimics my global warming theory. But that's for another time and thread.

My opinion anyway.

[swrinfla]

with Russ. This garbage has been around for a long time, but somehow today's media think it is THE ONLY NEWS.

Watch any station's 11:00pm newscast and you'll seldom see any mention of what's happening elsewhere (unless, of course, it's earthquakes or terrorist bombings, or, maybe, the folks in D.C. yelling and carrying on), only that all the bad guys are out in force again!

I call it a very sad state of affairs.

SWR

[2BNTV]

Several years ago, Ted Turner started a news program that only would broadcast good news! It lasted two weeks. It's a sad commentary that only bad news sells.
IMHO - The news today is looking for sensational stories so they get good ratings and increase advertising revenues. It seems to me that if there are no problems, it is not news worthy. Bad news has been around since time began but the news today seems to bombard us with it.
I personally would like to be informed on issues in a balanced type of reporting. It would be nice if more feel good stories were reported as their are many people who affirm that life is good by doing good deeds.

I always depended on the kindness of strangers - Blanche in Street Car Named Desire

[Pturner]

If it bleeds, it leads. Sad but true.

[Hawkwind]

Both NBC and ABC said nothing about the four killed and five wounded in a drive by shooting in Washington DC or the US Navy sinking one pirate boat and seizing the mother ship just west of the Seychelles Islands. First heard about the shootings on Al Jazeera so I had to search on the internet to find the details.

[Russ_Boston]

I did get a CNN breaking news on my crackberry about the seized pirate ship.

[saratogaman]

Originally Posted by Pturner

If it bleeds, it leads. Sad but true.

That has been true for decades, sadly. TV-wise, try BBC America.
As an alternative or in addition to the local daily ("Happy News"), you can get home delivery of the Orlando Sentinel -- not bad, not great.

[islandgal]

News is not alone in our morality fall - there are the soaps,
some reality shows, endless crime shows, even violent cartoons for children
...and the list goes on and on.
I agree with swrinfla: "I call it a very sad state of affairs".

[billethkid]

an ongoing increase in crime was in fact an increase in the awareness only and not an actual increase in the real crime rate.

Our permissive 'X' rated indulging society allows reporting, including videos of incidents that once upon a time were for law enforcement eyes only.

What we allow our youth to be exposed to in the movies and the television and the folks they hang with have more impression on their direction than home guidance......UNFORTUNATELY!!!!!!!!!

As a result, in the current generation, we have significantly reduced values, less respect for families and significantly reduced religion and reduced emphasis on education in the lives of our upcoming youth.

A trend to be reckoned with the near future.....by who? Good luck!!!!!

btk