Journalizzle

What is "Journalizzle?" Its what Snoop Dogg would call a cross between journalism and sizzle. Last night I watched as workers pretended to rescue
Fred Powers from a trench. To the people at home, it was pure eye candy. They saw him strapped to a basket, then get pulled out. He wasn't "buried alive" like we promised over and over during the day. The piece was a follow up to a story about a guy who really was buried alive in a trench collapse. Now can you imagine whats going through that poor bastard's mind as he's watching this shit on TV? This BUFFOON is doing a re-enactment of the horrible accident that put him in the hospital. Is this news? NO. Is it journalism? No. Does it give the viewer any more insight into what happened at the trench collapse? Maybe. Now back in the control room, there was a producer and executive producer YELLING at Fred in his earpiece to put more dirt on himself because it didn't look like he was buried. The OSHA guy on the scene wouldn't let the workers actually bury him. Well it was supposed to be four minutes of riveting TV, but it was 3 minutes of painful, mind-numbing idiocy. I'm sure people at home got some comedic value out of it, but I was just embarrased for our station.
It brings to mind the line between getting ratings and informing the public. When I write a story my first thought is, "how will this affect Aunt Edna?" Aunt Edna is the average person at home. She doesn't care about the latest budget battle, she just cares that her garbage gets picked up. She doesn't care about a gas leak on the other side of town, she just cares that her ride home is going to be an hour longer. Too often the news is judged not by what people want to see, but what news managers/producers/news directors want to see on their air. Does Aunt Edna care that a certain station was the only station that talked to some chick who saw a hooker get busted? Nope, but I bet that you'll see the "EXCLUSIVE" bug plastered all over it. So whats behind this hairy mole on the ass of Journalism? Its a number of things. Increased choices among tv stations. If you don't like the news on one station, there are at least 8 other news outlets where you can get your news. Its also because peoples lives are so much more fast-paced than in years past. They don't have time to sit and watch a 5 minute piece on Middle Eastern Peace Talks. Give it to me in 20 seconds or I'm gonna flip over to Judge Judy. And in general, TV viewers have a shorter span of attention. One casualty of that is the TV theme song.
So what is the answer? Pickier viewers. Go for the steak, not the sizzle. Will that happen? Hell No. Thats why reality TV is so big. You get what you think is reality, in small, safe, morsels. I think I need to get out of this business... simply because I've given up on Aunt Edna. I'm ready to strap her to the roof of my family truckster and drive her off a cliff.