Please. Stop.
We get it. People who walk on the streets are one or more of the following:
- Stupider than a ball of dryer lint.
- Have souls that resemble a slimy dishcloth left under three days of dirty dishes.
- Have a worldview that is eclipsed by earthworms.
Except No. That is about the same as saying Reality Shows are REAL. They aren’t. We know that.
And neither are these on-the-street interviews representative of anything but a reporter finding the right person (ie stupid, bigoted or representing the viewpoint of reporter’s bias), properly editing that interview and putting it on TV.
Had they found someone with a thoughtful well considered viewpoint, it would NOT be aired. Because that is not the purpose of the on-the-street interview.
The purpose is to make the viewer feel better about themselves by comparison.
These interviews are NOT News. They are providing self indulgent porn for our egos. They provide no additional information about the events of the days, which is what News is supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be entertainment or ego porn. Its supposed to be providing information about current events.
But dissemination of facts about current events now represents about 20% of the News as it is shown to us today. And the on-the-street interviews, which make such good comedy on Late Night Talk Shows, are just one of the pointless pieces of noise that fill up the other 80% of the News Show.
It's a Thought 
Ha! I love this post. I think the same things myself when I see the reports from ‘the street’.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The “idiot” most likely will have huge rollers in her hair, wearing her night dress and missing a few front teeth. She will say ” I saws it all, Dear Lord it was a merrical no ones was keeled.”
That is just was I thought when you say, idiot on the street interview. 🙂
LikeLike
What, news shows are 20% disseminating facts? Most days I feel luck if I find 5% fact 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Finally! Someone who thinks like I do. (I know that’s scary.) I have always thought they look for the dumbest, most inarticulate people when they do these. Either that or a microphone makes you turn instantly dumb no matter how smart you are.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m very mad because my kid’s teacher are insisting they watch the news so they can be well informed. Watching tv news does not inform anyone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is perfect. I can’t remember how many of these random interviews I have seen, followed by the reporter turning toward the camera and proclaiming “this is how people feel/think/see things.” No, it is not. It is how this one particular person answers one particular question at one particular moment.
I bet 99.9% of the interviewees spend hours afterward thinking about what they wish they had said.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you! Oh, my, I’ve wanted to give vent to the same feelings for years! The utterly worthless street interviews, the talking heads, the phoney ‘experts’ they drag out like the ‘terrorism expert’ they kept dragging out at Fox who turned out to be a complete phony and is being charged with a felony for fraud… I’m so tired of it.
I believe the Pew Trust did an analysis of the actual content of news programs, and the results were horrifying. Depending on the “news” organization being examined, anywhere from 45% to as much as 90% of the content of news programs wasn’t actual news. It was editorial opinion, so-called experts spouting nonsense, celebrity gossip…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Excellent post. The corporate media finds a narrative and sticks with it. The only way to know the truth is to read multiple sources.
LikeLike
Perfect. These are exactly my feelings. Except, of course that I would set the news-worthiness at about 1-2 percent. I unfortunately live in a tv news station “corall” The reporters who want a free lunch in the city find a narrow section of the old part of town where they can pen in a passerby and stick a mike in their face. After three such interviews, I swear, the next person who asks me about genetically altered grain is going to get my opinion on genetically altered reporters.
LikeLiked by 1 person