Neither "breaking", nor "news"

Kari Chisholm FacebookTwitterWebsite

Spotted late last night at OregonLive.com:

Drexler

Clyde Drexler appears on a network-TV talent show. This is not news; and it's certainly not news of the "breaking" variety. It's been promo'd for weeks.

Seriously, people.

  • (Show?)

    It's Oregon Live -- what do you expect? Having worked there, I certainly don't expect a whole lot. Which is too bad, because they sure could make the site something people use and read constantly.

    But the local news stations are just as bad. For days, the top story on KGW.com and KATU.com was Britney's bald head.

    I'm just so sick of media today that I don't know if I could ever go back to being a journalist.

  • Eric J. (unverified)
    (Show?)

    This is what happens when people get bored with their jobs and have to justify it with this crud.

  • Jason (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Personally, I don't think anything related to the so-called Reality Shows should be considered "news." I don't want to hear who got voted off that particular week. But I do want to hear about all the civil rights that Bush seems to ignore.

  • ws (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Yeah, unless you can argue that this item has a significant bearing on any outcome that would affect fair representation of Oregon or American citizens in general, kill this thread. It's bad enough going over to the parents seeing them addicted to this excrement without having to look at it gratuitously posted here too.

  • Sponge (unverified)
    (Show?)

    We are a society obsessed with the cult of personality. Clyde's appearance on reality tv is not news; but then, most of network news is not really news, either. Most content of commercial media is for entertainment only.

    Rightly or wrongly, there was a time when the name Clyde Drexler gave credibility to this city and to the Trailblazers organization. That alone tells you how seriously we value reality.

  • Anonymous (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Who is Clyde Drexler?

  • (Show?)

    I think the fact that local news doesn't seem to get the fact that LOCAL NEWS and important national news is what they're supposed to cover is a legit topic for the blogs.

    When important things are happening in both Salem and DC, local news chooses to focus entirely on Anna Nicole Smith's death, Britney's bald head, and reality shows.

    I think a discussion on this, especially when it can be tied to a concrete recent example, is a good thing.

  • Phil Jones (unverified)
    (Show?)

    'Clyde the Glide' was a great role model and public figure in Portland for many years. I think he deserves banner headlines when he performs on a national tv show. Perhaps there's something more significant to whine about.

  • JohnH (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Second to Jenni and Kari. Instead of promoting boring entertainment, the Oregonian could be dedicating itself to incisive coverage of ongoing, highly entertaining soap operas in Washington, Salem, and in local communities across the state. Will the monied interests triumph again? Or will ordinary Oregonians get consumer, labor and environmental protections? Nail biting drama!

    Only problem is, they'd have to hire reporters, adversely impacting the bottom line. Much easier to just pick up an AP feed.

    I appreciate the recent spate of posts covering the Oregen Legislature, which begins to remedy the virtual blackout imposed by the corporate media. And suggestions on ways to get more coverage of Salem?

  • (Show?)

    Not that I have anything against Clyde -- I'm a Rockets fan, and Clyde was very popular in Houston as well. He was the basketball coach at my school, the University of Houston, as well.

    But it isn't breaking news that he's on there. Putting something in entertainment or a feature story is fine. But breaking news? Come on. Then again, most news agencies seem to forget what breaking news means.

  • (Show?)

    Is repeating it news?

    No, but it is advocacy and opinion. I'll continue to go after the junk that the Oregonian and other local media like to call "news." If we can get them to shift their behavior just 10%, that'll be an accomplishment.

  • Mel Harmon (unverified)
    (Show?)

    This brings up a question I've asked a lot of progressive minded folks lately...what (if any) television or websites currently out there DO provide REAL news and info? I bounce around on CNN and BBC International, I check out Al-Jazeera English, I read Daily Kos, Loaded Orygun, and (obviously) Blue Oregon. What are some other sites have you found useful/semi-accurate/somewhat based in news and not infotainment?

  • (Show?)

    I typically use Yahoo News. There I can see news reports from all kinds of sources.

    Obviously (based on my commenting on both places) I read Blue Oregon and Loaded Orygun. I'm also a commentator over at Blog for Oregon.

  • spotchester (unverified)
    (Show?)

    That's actually a lot more interesting than 90% of their "Breaking News"

  • JohnH (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Mel-- If you're looking for international analysis, Asia Times is the place to go: www.atimes.com It gives a variety of viewpoints (usually excluding the official US version) and lets you see the world as others see it.

    I haven't seen any decent reporting about what those slime balls in the legislature are up to. Blue Oregon carries only sporadic reports, which is really disappointing considering the impressive list of contributors. The best I have found is the League of Women Voters' monthly meetings.

  • Richard Smoker (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Thanks for posting this article about non-news. I hope you enjoy reading my comment about non-news. I am glad non-news is free.

  • some1 (unverified)
    (Show?)

    People are so surface any more. Their lives revolve around the television and the petty stupid crap on it. Instead they should be covering what the two-headed monster is up to (by that I mean the Democrat and Republican cabal) They are bringing us closer to the one world government, there are wars happening and our local news is oversensationalizing the fact a local "celebrity" appears on a stupid dancing show. Unbelievable. I also love their fanatical weather reporting. OH, the great storm of 2006 turns out to be a 1/2 inch of snow and a couple of cars in the ditch. People here are so stupid and shallow. I've lost all hope in my fellow Portlanders.

  • (Show?)

    KATU actually had a pretty interesting & constructive story a couple of weeks ago that addressed the question of what health threats do Oregonians worry about vs. what do the actually die of? At least implicitly, it was in part a media self-critique. It also treated "what are people thinking" as news.

    Of course this isn't typical -- but it caught my eye as a public health person, as subsequent inquiries showed that it came on the reporter's initiative, not from the state epidemiologist she interviewed. It made me wonder I and other public health folks (broaden this to whatever your particular interests are) try to be more active with cultivating media contacts, providing story ideas & facilitation to underresourced local journalists, given the cutbacks cited?

    <h2>Somewhat separate is how to engage the editorial/broadcast producer level, which I think has a filtering function that when working right increases the signal to noise ratio, although even at best with limits that "new media" help redress. But these days that function seems to be increasingly on the fritz.</h2>

connect with blueoregon