So today I’m perusing some on-line newspapers searching for some articles of credibility when a thought hit me: whatever happened to real journalists?
You know the kind, the ones that would write stories based upon a series of facts, or semblance of facts while cleverly spinning the story to defend their own bias. They would write the stories in either their right or left leaning facade denouncing the rise of Fascism and then go home 
and fuck their Nazi prostitutes while proclaiming they were Anne Frank yet never reveal their secret fetish within their news pieces.
Then it hit me: there are no real journalists left because after the great purge of aged traditionally trained reporters there are only the youth aged in their initial adult years are left. And, therein lies the problem.
A recent perusal of two of the more popular news sites: The Huffington Post and Rochester’s very own City Newspaper helped to confirm my suspicion. The majority of the writers on the front pages showed that they were of the aforementioned demographic.
A reporter within the age range of 24 to 32 years old has experienced the ten recent worst years of journalism.
Almost half of their existence.
Back in the election of 2000, after George W. Bush was named President, it became in vogue to call the President names. Dubya, idiot, etc… became words of endearment leveled at our commander in chief. Journalism descended into a cess pool of poorly written and personal slander attacks at anything a writer did not like.
And, it didn’t stop after Barack Obama became President, it just got worse. So, instead of the major networks insulting the President, the opposition began.
Additionally, during the same time period a phenomenon called “Social Media” reared it’s hideous head. So, instead of hearing insults from professionals the insults were hurled by the general public. You know the type, the self important, half educated, arrogant blow-hards who now were experts on everything from Foreign affairs to Gender replacement surgeries. News outlets turned into Sunday dinner conversations with Uncle Bob and Aunt Louise attempting to force their viewpoints and opinions on you. All the time drinking way too much and having affairs with the transsexual midgets they met on the Internet.
Journalism has never been worst. What used to be left to the opinion pages has now infiltrated every type of story reported. In City Newspaper the movie critic begins his movie reviews with his own personal diatribe about the state of politics today. In the Huffington Post it is now okay to have a story about a non-story with no substantive facts (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fusion-gps-transcript_us_5a550912e4b003133ecd0358?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009).
The amusing item about the City Newspaper ‘movie critic’ is that he actually does a piece every Friday morning on 93.3 FM about the upcoming movie releases and he actually reviews movies that he hasn’t seen yet.
Let that sink in: Hasn’t seen the picture that he is reviewing. Wow, so not only is he incredibly knowledgeable on the techniques of being the President of the United States but he is obviously the illegitimate offspring of the Amazing Kreskin and is a mentalist himself. Obviously when his Mother worked as a crystal ball holder she learned how to cradle some other type of balls.
Now, I’m not picking on anyone but I want to make you think: This is what passes as Journalism nowadays. Heck, you don’t need facts, nor substance, just report what comes to the top of your head and just spout.
I’ll slow down a bit now. Is it really their fault? These individuals became journalists in a time period where the basic rules of news were bastardized. No, we shouldn’t blame them. Who is to blame are their editors.
It used to be that the editors of newspapers would edit and chastise even the best reporters. Hell, I remember when Jann Wenner rejected and disposed of Hunter S. Thompson’s work (of course now he’s the biggest whore in town.) Now, the news business has descended into a ravenous pack of dogs fighting for the finite bone scraps that are known as ‘hits’ to show to advertisers their popularity. Which has turned traditional editors into the ultimate village idiot.
I’ll wrap up this thought process now and will continue it at a further date. But, in conclusion I want you to think a bit as you read the news. Look and study the words, take a look at a movie review and decide for yourself if it’s appropriate for a political commentary within a movie review, and look at the story and see if there are facts or if the ‘story’ is just click bait or merely garbage.
Ciao, now I’m going to crack open that bottle of Evan Williams while pontificating on the virtues of Lou Gramm’s singing in the 70s. Oh, and don’t fret, I will be continuing this conversation…
