Sunday, June 17, 2012

Cheap Shot? Yes...


Friends send me these all the time. They usually bring a chuckle or occasional smirk, but the reaction I feel most is sadness.
First, I'm sad that this is what has become acceptable in our media, and our culture. Schools no longer teach cursive writing, and, apparently, spelling is optional, too. No longer do we have to use our hand-eye coordination required for creating the letters of our language. We now, simply, type in the first few letters and our iPhones do the rest. I would also comment on the responsibility of news people to learn, honor and respect the names of the streets, people and towns that they cover. That is fodder for a whole, separate, lengthy post.
Secondly, I'm sad because it is now demanded of media people to cover so many more job functions than ever before. TV reporters, for example, must shoot the story themselves, interview the subject, shoot more "B" roll, perform the obligatory "stand up" at the end of the report, edit the package, then repost their scripts on the internet, put a story link on Facebook, and then include a Twitter update (hopefully with a link that will take the reader to the story and not the station's generic homepage). The opportunities for error are massive in this business model.
While the Maven may take temporary umbrage at the media missteps in spelling and understanding of our unique market, it really brings me little joy in seeing media continue to loose credibility and trust from the audience.

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