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C - SPAN
A NATIONAL TREASURE!
Conventional newspapers are worried these days, and they have reason to be. While, at one time, they may have been the only - or at least - the dominant source for delivering news, gossip, and entertainment, they now face strong competition from cable TV and the Internet.
When we moved down to this little corner of North Carolina in 1994, we virtually said goodbye to newspapers. The only one that we still subscribe to is Tideland News, which is published once a week in nearby Swansboro. That paper has local news stories and local advertising, and it has no ambition to keep its readers informed about our society at large.
So, how do we get to know what is going on in the world? Well, we still often watch the evening TV news, but we tune in to MSNBC and CNN now and then during the day.
Part of my morning routine is to scan through the e-mail editions of NY Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Independent (UK), and Slate. If there are stories which sound interesting, I read them off their web sites. I do the same thing with Drudge Report and The Huffington Post, which both lead to news stories and blogs.
So, that is more than enough of information for one day? Nope. Here comes the big one: C-SPAN, in case you didn’t know, is the cable industry’s gift to the world (I honestly don’t know what the economic arrangements are, but you have a network of two or three commercial-free channels, dedicated to give public information).
C-SPAN has programs throughout the day, often allowing us to check in with all kinds of hearings and press conferences, and they will also televise Congress sessions so that we can see what ‘our hired hands in Washington’ are up to.
The one program that I try to at least see partially every day is Washington Journal. It comes on at 7 am every morning and usually runs for three hours. It is live and focuses on whatever is in the news that day. The format usually includes an initial 30 to 60 minutes during which the host reads excerpts from today’s papers and posts a topic for the viewers to call in and discuss.
During the rest of the program, different experts on the main topic of the day come in and explain the issues from their standpoint. They also answer questions and comments from the viewers.
With very few exceptions, those experts, who may be journalists, politicians, educators, business leaders, bloggers, etc are very knowledgeable in their fields, and the whole atmosphere of the program is very relaxed and informal, yet intellectually serious.
The hosts of Washington Journal are very impressive individuals; they monitor the call-in questions and they always seem up to the task of smartly conversing with their guests, regardless of the topic.
There are TV stations who claim to be ‘fair and balanced’, but C-SPAN is really the one that should make that claim. Even though I have logged hundreds (thousands?) of WJ programs, I can’t detect the political preference of any one of the hosts. Truly remarkable.
The callers are a different story. It wouldn’t be fair to say that they represent a sample of the typical voters of this country, because the total number of viewers is probably much less than even the 50% of eligible voters who usually care to vote.
Even so, they are interesting to listen to. A lot of callers have thoughtful questions and comments. Then, there are the loyalists of our two major parties who call in and demonstrate how they have bought their party’s propaganda messages lock, stock, and barrel. Everything that their own party does is right, and everything that the other party does is wrong. You can’t take them seriously, but they are good for a few laughs!
Washington Journal, in my opinion, represents what is best on TV ; knowledgeable people who have the ability to explain their areas of expertise in a way that is understandable and enjoyable for regular people. Then, there are the zealots for comic relief...
Some folks may find 7 am to be on the early side for everyday watching. No problem. Many of the programs may be downloaded from WWW.C-SPAN.ORG ready to be viewed at any time.
Why don’t you give it a try?
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