Huge Media Conspiracy
A zillion blogs out there and who gets the attention? The nutjobs, the zealots, and the worst of yellow journalism. I think this is not about blogs in general but a reflection of misplaced media emphasis. But why the warped focus? Is it just that old saw, 'bad news sells papers,' or something else?
Stories with sex, death, and scandal get our notice. These subjects are universally interesting; not because we're bad, but because we're human. We are wired to think such primal subjects are important.
Writers, editors, and publishers use these primal triggers to sell product. Unsurprisingly, the blogosphere (cool name, that) follows suit. But it seems the worst offenders sell hate, distrust, and extremism. Why would we buy that?
It's all about being the loudest, most obnoxious voice in the crowd. Loud voices and threatening appearance indicate danger; humans react to danger with complete attention. And this is what traditional media count on.
Large media outlets, including their online news sites, strive to be trusted by their readers. Integrity drives their advertising revenue; unsubstantiated, extremist rhetoric could be harmful.
Rather than risk reputation and financial loss, they farm the blogosphere for those eye-catching, gut-yanking, hate-raising pieces that they don't dare produce themselves. The news sites get the attention without risk, and the bloggers get exposure far beyond what their content merits.
So it's not really a conspiracy, but it got your attention, right?
8D
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