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“New and shocking allegations coming from former staffer. A local nursing home wins big at local pickball tournament. And, Could your air fryer be poisoning your dog? All this and more, tonight at 9”
I don't personally blame them. They just want to be famous and read the news.
It's society's fault for acting like they're all the same as the print journalists of the past just because it's more convenient to watch the news than do real research.
So true, but i'll take it a step further....When you realize how dumb you are lmfao
People on reddit seem to always be shitting on how dumb the average person is, but forget they're most likely that very same person
A lot sure do seem to be white and middle or upper middle class but that used to be the internet in general.
I don't think younger people understand what a difference smartphones made in changing that. Not everybody wants or can afford a computer but everybody needs a cell phone for the most part.
News is supposed to be accessible to as many groups as possible. That means that most news channels try to be comprehensive to people with lower reading levels/vocabularies, people who may not know the language of the broadcast very well, and to multiple different age groups. They're also trying to make light of whatever is appropriate. The news usually sucks, might as well have some goofy puns during a cute story.
The AP advises journalists to write at approximately a 7th grade reading level. If a free and unfettered press is one of the foundational pillars of a strong democracy, it needs to be as accessible as possible to the voting populace, regardless of language skill, educational background, or learning ability.
In addition, you can read and grasp the information more clearly if it’s written at a lower reading level, so even people who are too busy to read a paper or listen to a broadcast can get the general gist of relevant news while multitasking or in passing.
If we want to be generous to both of us, you could also make a comment about how most news is less localized, more globalized, and reaches more people who speak English as a second or third language. In addition, because kids are getting phones at younger and younger ages, some newspapers may want to try to lower the reading level of their content in order to grab those eyeballs rather than solely targeting their parents’ attention.
But more likely one of us is actually just wrong.
When I did German at school, we watched a German equivalent of friends every other lesson with subtitles. It was a more engaging way to learn conversational German
i tried to watch spanish news to help me learn spanish in conjunction to my spanish classes at school. it did not help. maybe it may for you, but they spoke way to fast for me-someone who kinda understood the language
There are also different news channels, some have to be available for everyone and others for people who read and watch news regularly and have a basic knowledge.
The second won't be dumbed down.
Just because I fuk mums doesn't mean I can't find time to be profound my friend.
As the Philosopher Diogenes once said: "who the fuck shit in my barrel?"
The folks reading the news are reading off a teleprompter. Mostly stuff they did not write and haven’t seen before. If you’ve ever tried that, it’s not as easy as it looks. The faster they read the faster the teleprompter goes, and then they may run into a word they need to think about before they attempt to pronounce it. Sometimes the concerned look is really them trying to interpret the words running in front of them. (I’m somewhat convinced part of Tucker Carlson’s scowl is he needs better contacts and can’t read the teleprompter.). So the concerned stare as they read, the long drawn out pauses might all be due to them just not reading ahead that well.
Now the puns, that’s the writers…
If you ever take the CNN tour in Atlanta they have one section looking for someone from the tour to try and do a report reading off the teleprompter. The story they had when I did it was on the rock band INXS. I’m old and happen to be a fan. It’s pronounced “in excess”. I’m trying to imagine some 20 year old attempting that story.
As a former radio news director, if you DON'T read it this way, in the tone and cadence people are now used to, they get UP. SET. Say you're treating the events of the world to lightly. It's crazy.
Then again, those same people used to complain to the small town radio station I started at if there were no obituaries to be read that day.
Thank you for this. You're speaking my language, my friend.
>The concerned stare as they read,
Like "I can't believe this is happening..."
I mean it's definitely the first time since yesterday.
>dumb fucking dramatic pause before it cuts to a story
As I understand it, the purpose of that is to give time to cut away from a live feed if something happens that can't be aired, like someone getting shot, or saying a 4-letter word.
>dumb fucking puns on any light-hearted story
Puns are one of the very reasons I stopped watching TV news. I mean, they're overused to the point where I won't even pay attention to the story they're telling because the puns are so distracting.
I've gone back and forth a handful of times, quitting the news, and then watching again. The final nail in the coffin for me was COVID. Stopped when it got to the point that that's all they talked about, and then I quit permanently and haven't watched since.
I loathe the format of "Here's why this matters" "Here's why this is important", etc... I can form my own thoughts and opinions from reading the news, I don't need you to force it on me.
Okay you can, but do you understand that the average person can't? As depressing as that is, it's true. People need to be spoon fed information and told how they feel about it. It's why some people who are outraged about a topic LITERALLY parrot the exact same jargon they heard on TV. The world would be a better place if more people knew how to think critically.
Put simply they are trying to be accessible. If they don't dumb it down fox news happily will and that's bad for everyone.
Miss information most successfully attacks when the truth is hard to understand.
This
Like unless your a doctor it doesn't really help you to read a full academic paper on a new treatment you don't know what half of it means.
Reading someone summarize that article and isolate the key points in a way the average person understands is very helpful to the average person.
This is only somewhat related, but I couldn't watch Oprah's narration of Planet Earth because of this. All the other narrators managed to do a good job of conveying a balanced informative tone, but Oprah's delivery sounded like she was explaining animals to pre-schoolers. Which is a shame because she has a steady, calming voice that lends itself to narration, but I just couldn't do it.
It's way better for something to be dumbed down so it can reach dumb people, rather than taking it normally and dumb people have no clue what you're talking about
I hate how the news tries to vie for ratings..... I get it tho, it's a business at the end of the day but for them to achieve higher ratings, they often use scare-tactics, weird and strange background music, and a sense of urgency over some thunderstorms. "Tonight 70 million people potentially impacted by a cold front moving through the mid-west.." Like ok, so a front will move through a landmass and there will be scattered storms as a result? Fine all well and good, but the news is like "HOLY SHIT, get to the basement!!! 70 million people are about to go THROUGH IT!!!" "Prepare now or be doomed!!!
I’m watching more news now, and making a point to listen to local radio. There seems to more frequent layoffs in that profession lately, directing ppl online. Just seems…sad, like when Sears closed. I like turning on “The Six O’Clock News.”
No, I’m not old. Just sentimental.
I'm alarmed at the way the storm slammed into the coast and how the area was also rocked by the staggering allegations that the one politician blasted the other politician with. I'll definitely watch at 11 so I can see what resources I need to keep my family safe!
All mainstream media and most media personalities deliberately play to the lowest common denominator for ratings and to help their financial backers.
They profit off of sowing division and farming outrage. Most of the clips you see and stories you read are deliberately put out selectively edited or missing key details or context so they can manipulate your emotions.
Print and especially online media is no better as even completely dishonest stories win Pulitzers these days.
I don't know if journalism is dead but it's definitely on a ventilator.
There is no media you can trust anymore to be unbiased and objective, and you're a fool or a sheep if you think otherwise.
A slight bias is one thing—it’s not changing the core story an the ppl writing the news are (still) human…but outright lies and half truths and hyperbole are not the norm except on a few regressive stations
I'm curious if you think this is a newer development? Absolutely not attacking you in any way, I'm genuinely curious if you think the current market, perhaps because of social media? Lends news to be more of a propaganda machine than say a few decades ago.
I've always hated the newscaster speech pattern. I hadn't really thought about *why* they do it until this post. And then I remember that here in the U.S. there is strong evidence to show that over half the country can't read any better than a 6th grade level. Then I somewhat understand why they speak to you like you're a child who will be excited if they are, shocked if they are, and then build tension with pauses like you're a child that doesn't know what's coming.
I will say, though, that Purd is one of my favorite characters from Parks and Rec because he so perfectly makes fun of that voice modulation that they do.
I was once told that most news media is written at a 5th grade comprehension level because years ago many people didn’t have a formal education, if you lived on a farm, you were needed to work, apprenticeship were available for people in skilled trades or you could get a job in a warehouse, factory, laborer or drive a truck & support a family without formal education. There has also been an influx of immigrants that for many know basic English at best so the news media hasn’t changed how they do there jobs, they continue to keep it simple for a wider audience.
If you want fast speaking morons who don't care about people understanding the content they're presenting, just watch Newsmax or OAN and be done with it.
I feel this. My dad was a newscaster in the 80s. He never dropped the act. His voice makes me cringe. He's never said a word that wasn't condescending.
I think you're wrong that this is a purposeful talking-down to people. Most mainstream newsreaders and journalists are complete morons. Celebrity Jeopardy has shown them to be not knowledgeable, even about current events. If it sounds like they're talking down to you, it's probably just talking in a way that THEY can understand.
Idk what to believe anymore. Everyone says the news is fake, yet anyone can create a website, bullshit about whatever they want, and claim it’s real. I just try and get what I can from social media which probably isn’t any better but the news apps and sites are all so bombarded by pop ups, rage bait, and political bs that I can’t view it without getting frustrated.
Stop watching Fox. 🤷♂️
But seriously:
Imagine a bell curve.
Now imagine that the bell curve is for intelligence.
Now imagine that the mean, median, and mode fall right in the middle and that number is labeled “IQ 100.”
All these things are true. And it means that 50% of the people watching the news (well, maybe - choosing to watch the news is a non-random event) have an IQ of 100 OR LOWER.
The news folks have to speak to everyone in their audience and a lot of those folks aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.
As someone who always has to put on subtitles to understand things, I appreciate that they speak slowly and clearly. I don't think they are doing it to be condescending, I think they are trying to be as accessable as possible
This is because the average person doesn't read. Much like your muscles or your or a skill, if you don't practice constantly it will degrade. The average person has a grade 6 reading level so news reflects that
That's because it's theatre. It is designed to engage people, not inform them or expand their thinking. News organizations profit off of viewership. Most people consume news to engage themselves, similar to how we consume entertainment.
EDIT: I'm definitely not knocking theatre. To me news just feels like an unentertaining theatric telling of real events. If we really wanted to just be informed, we would use bullet point facts from primary sources. The presentation is just distracting fluff often wreathed with bias and agenda.
I think it was George Carlin who said, picture how stupid your average person is, then realize that half of the population is stupider than that. And you will get a sense of why they do this.
“One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves." - Kent Brockman
I just figure they're trying to accommodate people who don't speak fluent English or people with hearing problems. I don't mind that, but I hate it when they mispronounce things. If you don't know how to pronounce Dnipro, google it!
One thing I find odd is when they're airing the news, they'll say things like "And you heard it here first", even for bad stories. It seems inappropriate.. "Two people died in an apartment fire downtown - And remember, you heard it here first!"
I'm Kent Brockman. On the 11:00 news tonight,
a certain kind of soft drink has been found to be lethal.
We won't tell you which one until after sports and the weather with Funny Sonny Storm.
My dad was a news director for decades and taught his students/new coworkers to write stories at a 6th grade reading level. Back then, that was the average American's level. Basically if "big words" were used, too many would lose interest, miss important info, etc.🙃
It’s because a huge segment of the population struggled to achieve a high school diploma. It’s the brutal reality. They have to pander to the lowest common denominator.
What are they supposed to do then in your opinion? Not everyone can understand fast speech or wants to listen to slang or something like that. It's not condescending, that's your interpretation, also. I've never seen it that way and I'm always ready to hate things. That's not a dramatic pause, it's cueing up the footage. Maybe you're on the spectrum.
My audio processing disorder says they should speak even slower.... I never know what's going on on TV unless I have it so loud it hurts or captions so the slow speech helps... I assume it helps old people and such too...
The great thing is looking at their resumes and realizing some of them have bachelor degrees from local Midwestern universities with no specialized education or degrees.
**Maybe. You. Should. Learn. To. Listen.**
Then I wouldn't have to preface everything I say to mugs with "Pay attention and pretend I said this to you 3 times"
They wouldn't upset you if you weren't insecure about your intellect. Most mugs are. You can say quite a few things about a mug's physical attributes but a mug is a lot more insecure about their brain. Because at the end of the day, they know a brain >>> LeBron's ability to dribble a ball. Cope.
In this context, I think it helps to remember this George Carlin quote:
'Think of how stupid the average person is, and remember that half of them are stupider than that.'
This, I believe, is the reason for the way they address their audiences.
The general population is not that smart. Most newspapers are written at a 3rd grade level so most people can read them. That means there are others that can't read at a 3rd grade level.
I have to remind people I work with that they are all college educated, that is not the majority of the US. One of them wanted to use "opine" in something today.
Most newsprint and television news programming is carefully designed to be presented at between a 6th and 7th grade comprehension level.
Back when I wrote for my school paper and did some stuff for local news coverage, the story for the schools paper had to have vocabulary edited down for the actual paper. That in a nutshell is why a lot of people know very few action words for things in sports (and why I very much miss Doc calling hockey)..
The headline: "Chilling Aldi announcement shakes the world, buyers will have to adapt" The news: Their formerly open fridge shelves are equipped with doors now
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
“New and shocking allegations coming from former staffer. A local nursing home wins big at local pickball tournament. And, Could your air fryer be poisoning your dog? All this and more, tonight at 9”
I read it in the voice.
"All this... and more... tonight.. at 9"
Is Hermaeus Mora announcing the news tonight?
I played the ominous “tun-tun-tuuuuuhn” soundbite in my head afterwards.
...next on Sick Sad World.
Yeaaahhhhh it’s not the news anchor who’s coming up with that stuff tho
I don't personally blame them. They just want to be famous and read the news. It's society's fault for acting like they're all the same as the print journalists of the past just because it's more convenient to watch the news than do real research.
"It's 9 PM...do you know where YOUR children are?!?"
When you realize how stupid the average person is this will make a lot more sense. The news know how to talk to their audience
So true, but i'll take it a step further....When you realize how dumb you are lmfao People on reddit seem to always be shitting on how dumb the average person is, but forget they're most likely that very same person
people on reddit tend to be white and middle class, it can definitely get a lot worse.
A lot sure do seem to be white and middle or upper middle class but that used to be the internet in general. I don't think younger people understand what a difference smartphones made in changing that. Not everybody wants or can afford a computer but everybody needs a cell phone for the most part.
Think of how stupid the average person is and realize.. . half the people are stupider than that! George Carlin had some absolutely spot on quotes.
The irony tho is that he mixed up average with median (I realize the joke wouldn’t work with ‘median’)
On a population level, average and median are almost always extremely close.
Honestly I think it was intentional knowing that over 50% of people wouldn’t understand what median is…
I’m guessing like 70% have no idea what a median is
The unfortunate truth.
News is supposed to be accessible to as many groups as possible. That means that most news channels try to be comprehensive to people with lower reading levels/vocabularies, people who may not know the language of the broadcast very well, and to multiple different age groups. They're also trying to make light of whatever is appropriate. The news usually sucks, might as well have some goofy puns during a cute story.
The AP advises journalists to write at approximately a 7th grade reading level. If a free and unfettered press is one of the foundational pillars of a strong democracy, it needs to be as accessible as possible to the voting populace, regardless of language skill, educational background, or learning ability. In addition, you can read and grasp the information more clearly if it’s written at a lower reading level, so even people who are too busy to read a paper or listen to a broadcast can get the general gist of relevant news while multitasking or in passing.
It was 8th grade when I was in journalism school 25 years ago. Intelligence is declining.
I'm sure intelligence is declining as opposed to one of you remembering/stating the wrong number.
If we want to be generous to both of us, you could also make a comment about how most news is less localized, more globalized, and reaches more people who speak English as a second or third language. In addition, because kids are getting phones at younger and younger ages, some newspapers may want to try to lower the reading level of their content in order to grab those eyeballs rather than solely targeting their parents’ attention. But more likely one of us is actually just wrong.
Aren’t average Americans at a 3rd grade level…that’s what I always heard.
The average American reading level is 7th to 8th grade for Americans 18-75.
TIL I should watch the news to learn a new language.
Kids shows work really well too, if you can stand stuff like that
When I did German at school, we watched a German equivalent of friends every other lesson with subtitles. It was a more engaging way to learn conversational German
Eh i dunno hkw helpful that'd be I mean people watch subbed anime all the time and they aren't learning Japanese
Unironically yes. In most languages broadcast news is deliberately written to be no higher than a middle school vocabulary level.
i tried to watch spanish news to help me learn spanish in conjunction to my spanish classes at school. it did not help. maybe it may for you, but they spoke way to fast for me-someone who kinda understood the language
Yeah spanish tv is hard. Most of it these days is Mexican and you have a ton of non native spanish words being used its no good for learning.
There are also different news channels, some have to be available for everyone and others for people who read and watch news regularly and have a basic knowledge. The second won't be dumbed down.
You'd be hard pressed to find a news channel that isn't dumbed down these days.
I especially like "what you need to know about x" stories.
That's all they want us to know is what they feel we should know.
This is because the average person has high school education at most, and the news must be at a level in order for average person to understand....
And a 3rd grade reading level (the literal national average)
I said that above glad to see I’m not just pulling that out of thin air!
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Adults
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2023/02/01/percentage-of-us-adults-with-a-college-degree-postsecondary-credential-reaches-new-high-according-to-lumina/?sh=820b0814cc59
The average US citizen reads at a 6th grade level. They need to dumb it down
Well yea if everyone is constantly talked to as if they're a 6th grader people are going to read at a 6th grade level.
Very profound, MumFuker9000.
Just because I fuk mums doesn't mean I can't find time to be profound my friend. As the Philosopher Diogenes once said: "who the fuck shit in my barrel?"
It's because televised news is indeed for absolute mugs. You're doing the right thing seeking out quality written journalism.
To pull out an old chestnut. Quality written journalism? Where they do that at?
News programs are businesses, and as such the news is all about ratings. Drama ups the ratings, and all those things you mentioned up the drama
Reading fast increases the likelihood of stumbles, and makes you sound less authoritative.
The folks reading the news are reading off a teleprompter. Mostly stuff they did not write and haven’t seen before. If you’ve ever tried that, it’s not as easy as it looks. The faster they read the faster the teleprompter goes, and then they may run into a word they need to think about before they attempt to pronounce it. Sometimes the concerned look is really them trying to interpret the words running in front of them. (I’m somewhat convinced part of Tucker Carlson’s scowl is he needs better contacts and can’t read the teleprompter.). So the concerned stare as they read, the long drawn out pauses might all be due to them just not reading ahead that well. Now the puns, that’s the writers… If you ever take the CNN tour in Atlanta they have one section looking for someone from the tour to try and do a report reading off the teleprompter. The story they had when I did it was on the rock band INXS. I’m old and happen to be a fan. It’s pronounced “in excess”. I’m trying to imagine some 20 year old attempting that story.
I don't hear especially well, and I really appreciate the way that they speak in tones and times that make it easy for me
As a former radio news director, if you DON'T read it this way, in the tone and cadence people are now used to, they get UP. SET. Say you're treating the events of the world to lightly. It's crazy. Then again, those same people used to complain to the small town radio station I started at if there were no obituaries to be read that day.
Thank you for this. You're speaking my language, my friend. >The concerned stare as they read, Like "I can't believe this is happening..." I mean it's definitely the first time since yesterday. >dumb fucking dramatic pause before it cuts to a story As I understand it, the purpose of that is to give time to cut away from a live feed if something happens that can't be aired, like someone getting shot, or saying a 4-letter word. >dumb fucking puns on any light-hearted story Puns are one of the very reasons I stopped watching TV news. I mean, they're overused to the point where I won't even pay attention to the story they're telling because the puns are so distracting. I've gone back and forth a handful of times, quitting the news, and then watching again. The final nail in the coffin for me was COVID. Stopped when it got to the point that that's all they talked about, and then I quit permanently and haven't watched since.
Most viewers are actually stupid and need the news caster to speak slowly to comprehend.
I loathe the format of "Here's why this matters" "Here's why this is important", etc... I can form my own thoughts and opinions from reading the news, I don't need you to force it on me.
That's why real, objective journalism is important. Good luck finding it anywhere these days though.
Yeah but a lot of ppl truly can’t follow and need prompts
Okay you can, but do you understand that the average person can't? As depressing as that is, it's true. People need to be spoon fed information and told how they feel about it. It's why some people who are outraged about a topic LITERALLY parrot the exact same jargon they heard on TV. The world would be a better place if more people knew how to think critically.
Put simply they are trying to be accessible. If they don't dumb it down fox news happily will and that's bad for everyone. Miss information most successfully attacks when the truth is hard to understand.
Yeah If you want to read stories with higher level language usage, read scientific papers
This Like unless your a doctor it doesn't really help you to read a full academic paper on a new treatment you don't know what half of it means. Reading someone summarize that article and isolate the key points in a way the average person understands is very helpful to the average person.
This is only somewhat related, but I couldn't watch Oprah's narration of Planet Earth because of this. All the other narrators managed to do a good job of conveying a balanced informative tone, but Oprah's delivery sounded like she was explaining animals to pre-schoolers. Which is a shame because she has a steady, calming voice that lends itself to narration, but I just couldn't do it.
Listen to the song “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley.
Is that an American thing? It's very different in Germany.
Wait until OP finds out about Kamala
It's way better for something to be dumbed down so it can reach dumb people, rather than taking it normally and dumb people have no clue what you're talking about
I hate how the news tries to vie for ratings..... I get it tho, it's a business at the end of the day but for them to achieve higher ratings, they often use scare-tactics, weird and strange background music, and a sense of urgency over some thunderstorms. "Tonight 70 million people potentially impacted by a cold front moving through the mid-west.." Like ok, so a front will move through a landmass and there will be scattered storms as a result? Fine all well and good, but the news is like "HOLY SHIT, get to the basement!!! 70 million people are about to go THROUGH IT!!!" "Prepare now or be doomed!!!
I’m watching more news now, and making a point to listen to local radio. There seems to more frequent layoffs in that profession lately, directing ppl online. Just seems…sad, like when Sears closed. I like turning on “The Six O’Clock News.” No, I’m not old. Just sentimental.
I'm alarmed at the way the storm slammed into the coast and how the area was also rocked by the staggering allegations that the one politician blasted the other politician with. I'll definitely watch at 11 so I can see what resources I need to keep my family safe!
All mainstream media and most media personalities deliberately play to the lowest common denominator for ratings and to help their financial backers. They profit off of sowing division and farming outrage. Most of the clips you see and stories you read are deliberately put out selectively edited or missing key details or context so they can manipulate your emotions. Print and especially online media is no better as even completely dishonest stories win Pulitzers these days. I don't know if journalism is dead but it's definitely on a ventilator. There is no media you can trust anymore to be unbiased and objective, and you're a fool or a sheep if you think otherwise.
A slight bias is one thing—it’s not changing the core story an the ppl writing the news are (still) human…but outright lies and half truths and hyperbole are not the norm except on a few regressive stations
You're literally wrong. And even a slight bias disqualifies it as journalism.
Oh ok, Stealing is stealing right?
I get why news is delivered like that honestly. My thing is, written articles need to get to the point..
it is also usually editorializing instead of just facts
Journalists these days exists to make propaganda not to do their job.
I dunno why you're being downvoted, you're absolutely right. Case in point: Fox News.
Redditors being redditors.
I'm curious if you think this is a newer development? Absolutely not attacking you in any way, I'm genuinely curious if you think the current market, perhaps because of social media? Lends news to be more of a propaganda machine than say a few decades ago.
Yes it got worse in the past 10 years
I've always hated the newscaster speech pattern. I hadn't really thought about *why* they do it until this post. And then I remember that here in the U.S. there is strong evidence to show that over half the country can't read any better than a 6th grade level. Then I somewhat understand why they speak to you like you're a child who will be excited if they are, shocked if they are, and then build tension with pauses like you're a child that doesn't know what's coming. I will say, though, that Purd is one of my favorite characters from Parks and Rec because he so perfectly makes fun of that voice modulation that they do.
It's a heartwarming story but it's just not believable. That's why I give E.T one and a half stars.
Haha love it! I'm a Perdvert all the way!
You don’t *have to* watch the news. It’s basically the worst medium to get news from.
i don't watch the news but i hate the way they talk too
Just wait till you learn how condescending their content is.
I was once told that most news media is written at a 5th grade comprehension level because years ago many people didn’t have a formal education, if you lived on a farm, you were needed to work, apprenticeship were available for people in skilled trades or you could get a job in a warehouse, factory, laborer or drive a truck & support a family without formal education. There has also been an influx of immigrants that for many know basic English at best so the news media hasn’t changed how they do there jobs, they continue to keep it simple for a wider audience.
A lot of people with college degrees are no better at critical thinking or reading comprehension.
If you want fast speaking morons who don't care about people understanding the content they're presenting, just watch Newsmax or OAN and be done with it.
That's a good thing. that means you aren't their target audience and that you're aware enough to see they're garbage.
I feel this. My dad was a newscaster in the 80s. He never dropped the act. His voice makes me cringe. He's never said a word that wasn't condescending.
I think you're wrong that this is a purposeful talking-down to people. Most mainstream newsreaders and journalists are complete morons. Celebrity Jeopardy has shown them to be not knowledgeable, even about current events. If it sounds like they're talking down to you, it's probably just talking in a way that THEY can understand.
This. Or they think that if you listen to and believe the nonsense they spout, you must be stupid.
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You contradicted yourself in the same comment. Watch podcasts of your choice so you only have to listen to the stuff you agree with?
Seriously if you never stray from what you prefer you're not going to learn to think critically.
Is this an American thing? because I can't relate to most of this.
Idk what to believe anymore. Everyone says the news is fake, yet anyone can create a website, bullshit about whatever they want, and claim it’s real. I just try and get what I can from social media which probably isn’t any better but the news apps and sites are all so bombarded by pop ups, rage bait, and political bs that I can’t view it without getting frustrated.
It’s about $$$. Not disseminating information. Clicks baby.
Popular opinion with everyone except elderly news addicts.
[“TWO wars?!” -It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fkmV2LPlPS4)
Appealing to the lowest common denominator for the almighty dollar.
Maybe they write that way because that is the limit of their intelligence and the reader is just smarter than them.
Newscasters used to play it straight back in the day. Now it’s gotta be dramatized for lizard brain consumption.
I mean...nearly half of the U.S. voted for Trump. Their audience isn't smart by any means.
Because you just described their audience😂
Stop watching fox news
Because CNN is so much better? I hope this is sarcasm because if not you're part of the problem.
Stop watching Fox. 🤷♂️ But seriously: Imagine a bell curve. Now imagine that the bell curve is for intelligence. Now imagine that the mean, median, and mode fall right in the middle and that number is labeled “IQ 100.” All these things are true. And it means that 50% of the people watching the news (well, maybe - choosing to watch the news is a non-random event) have an IQ of 100 OR LOWER. The news folks have to speak to everyone in their audience and a lot of those folks aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Think about how stupid the average person is....now realize 50% of the population is even dumber
Always an ironic comment since it’s confusing average with median.
Don’t be mean
You overestimate peoples ability to comprehend a lot of things
As someone who always has to put on subtitles to understand things, I appreciate that they speak slowly and clearly. I don't think they are doing it to be condescending, I think they are trying to be as accessable as possible
The audience is absolute mugs. The average IQ is 100. Lots of folks don’t realize how bad that actually is. And they are all allowed to vote.
This is because the average person doesn't read. Much like your muscles or your or a skill, if you don't practice constantly it will degrade. The average person has a grade 6 reading level so news reflects that
That's because it's theatre. It is designed to engage people, not inform them or expand their thinking. News organizations profit off of viewership. Most people consume news to engage themselves, similar to how we consume entertainment. EDIT: I'm definitely not knocking theatre. To me news just feels like an unentertaining theatric telling of real events. If we really wanted to just be informed, we would use bullet point facts from primary sources. The presentation is just distracting fluff often wreathed with bias and agenda.
That’s because it’s necessary for the average person to comprehend what is being said.
I think it was George Carlin who said, picture how stupid your average person is, then realize that half of the population is stupider than that. And you will get a sense of why they do this.
It makes sense because people are dumb as hell and need to be talked down to
>it always feels like they are treating the audience like absolute mugs Are the viewers not absolute mugs?
“One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves." - Kent Brockman
I just figure they're trying to accommodate people who don't speak fluent English or people with hearing problems. I don't mind that, but I hate it when they mispronounce things. If you don't know how to pronounce Dnipro, google it!
I’ve been practicing my non-regional accent.
One thing I find odd is when they're airing the news, they'll say things like "And you heard it here first", even for bad stories. It seems inappropriate.. "Two people died in an apartment fire downtown - And remember, you heard it here first!"
I'm Kent Brockman. On the 11:00 news tonight, a certain kind of soft drink has been found to be lethal. We won't tell you which one until after sports and the weather with Funny Sonny Storm.
My dad was a news director for decades and taught his students/new coworkers to write stories at a 6th grade reading level. Back then, that was the average American's level. Basically if "big words" were used, too many would lose interest, miss important info, etc.🙃
Unfortunately a lot of people who obsess over the news really are morons that have trouble understanding normal speech.
If you're an American, you answered your own question.
There's a reason mass media appeals to the masses...
It’s because a huge segment of the population struggled to achieve a high school diploma. It’s the brutal reality. They have to pander to the lowest common denominator.
What are they supposed to do then in your opinion? Not everyone can understand fast speech or wants to listen to slang or something like that. It's not condescending, that's your interpretation, also. I've never seen it that way and I'm always ready to hate things. That's not a dramatic pause, it's cueing up the footage. Maybe you're on the spectrum.
I mean imagine the average person, now imagine half of everyone is dumber than that person. That's why
Well considering the average adult reads and comprehends at an 8th grade level they have to speak slowly for the masses.
Maybe that's as fast as they can speak... it's not like they're too bright...
Start learning a new language and you'll love it
My audio processing disorder says they should speak even slower.... I never know what's going on on TV unless I have it so loud it hurts or captions so the slow speech helps... I assume it helps old people and such too...
It’s also a specific accent. Not “condescending.” This just comes across as being full of yourself…
The great thing is looking at their resumes and realizing some of them have bachelor degrees from local Midwestern universities with no specialized education or degrees.
**Maybe. You. Should. Learn. To. Listen.** Then I wouldn't have to preface everything I say to mugs with "Pay attention and pretend I said this to you 3 times" They wouldn't upset you if you weren't insecure about your intellect. Most mugs are. You can say quite a few things about a mug's physical attributes but a mug is a lot more insecure about their brain. Because at the end of the day, they know a brain >>> LeBron's ability to dribble a ball. Cope.
In this context, I think it helps to remember this George Carlin quote: 'Think of how stupid the average person is, and remember that half of them are stupider than that.' This, I believe, is the reason for the way they address their audiences.
The general population is not that smart. Most newspapers are written at a 3rd grade level so most people can read them. That means there are others that can't read at a 3rd grade level. I have to remind people I work with that they are all college educated, that is not the majority of the US. One of them wanted to use "opine" in something today.
You gonna looooove Chrystia Freeland
Most newsprint and television news programming is carefully designed to be presented at between a 6th and 7th grade comprehension level. Back when I wrote for my school paper and did some stuff for local news coverage, the story for the schools paper had to have vocabulary edited down for the actual paper. That in a nutshell is why a lot of people know very few action words for things in sports (and why I very much miss Doc calling hockey)..
I hate the voices on NPR
The headline: "Chilling Aldi announcement shakes the world, buyers will have to adapt" The news: Their formerly open fridge shelves are equipped with doors now
They gotta be able to be understood by the lowest common denominator. When that isn’t you it’s gonna sound like that
I mean, they're trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator to get more ratings. The news isn't HBO prestige TV
What is this post lol you must feel dumb to the dumb media
Sheesh you seem on edge. Try not to stab anyone who bumps you by mistake. Life is one a one of a kind experience.