Here is Al Gore's asssesment of the modern media:

. AL GORE'S CODE RED
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/26494/
"It is no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public
discourse," former U.S. Vice President Al Gore told the We Media
Conference in New York. "Something has gone basically and badly
wrong in the way America's fabled 'marketplace of ideas' now
functions." Gore cited the dominance and poor quality of television
as a main cause: "Clearly, the purpose of television news is no
longer to inform the American people or serve the public interest.
It is to 'glue eyeballs to the screen' in order to build ratings and
sell advertising. ... Just look at what's on: The Robert Blake
trial. The Laci Peterson tragedy. The Michael Jackson trial. The
Runaway Bride. The search in Aruba. The latest twist in various
celebrity couplings. ... More importantly, notice what is not on:
the global climate crisis, the nation's fiscal catastrophe, the
hollowing out of America's industrial base, and a long list of other
serious public questions that need to be addressed by the American
people." Gore, whose new business venture, Current TV, airs
"viewer-created content," also blasted television for lacking "true
interactivity."
SOURCE: AlterNet, October 6, 2005
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