the news will never be the same

One of my lingering memories from my early childhood is of sitting on the floor in my parents' bedroom and watching World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. I think that even then I was aware of what an icon he was, even if I couldn't really understand what he was talking about. At 5, your world is rather small and I could only vaguely conceive of the people and places he talked about. But he had such presence that I was still compelled to watch.

This was of course before CNN and the other 24-hour news networks became big, when America still got its news from the Big Three networks. Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather are the last of the dying breed of big-name network news anchors. But as the New York Times article I've linked to hints at, there is an even bigger void being set by their absence on the air. No longer will you have someone of Jennings's clout to get those important overseas stories on the air. The news America sees will now be dictated by what will get them to watch - its become a business of entertainment instead of the source of information and transparency it should be. CNN and Fox will rule the airwaves with their flashy graphics and softball stories. America really is being dumbed down, and I can't tell you how sad that makes me.

For now, we have programs like the BBC World News, the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and quality journalists like Christiane Amanpour. But I have the disheartening suspicion that these too will fall by the wayside. And it's all such a shame, because at a time when there is such an overwhelming amount of information at our fingertips, I really think we need people like Peter Jennings and his team who can sift through the stories of the day and gives us a real in-depth analysis of the stories that really matter. Without them, we are left with sensationalized stories of car chases, political scandal, and Britney Spears. Sigh.

A true icon of my childhood and my future profession has passed away, and he will be sorely missed.

Link