Teasing the News Is the Wrong Thing to Do

摘要

Using the news of the day as fodder to entice an audience to stay tuned used to be annoying and in dubious taste, but, like TV commercials, something to be endured as a necessity of commercial broadcasting. In today's world, however, where Americans need accurate and clear information as quickly as they can get it, teasing the news is an atrocious breach of journalists' responsibility to the public. Local news, as usual, is the worst offender, but network news organizations as well as CNN aren't innocent, especially when it comes to promoting their news magazines and news talk shows. News and information should never be used to tease an audience into waiting around through the commercial break or that evening's newscast. Teases designed to persuade viewers to stay tuned are fine for entertainment programs, but news is just too serious a business, especially today, to play games with the audience.