As an addendum, I’ll likely just be posting outrageous/funny/cat/incredible videos from youtube as I get busier and busier.

It’s not secret that Fox News is total crap. But with recent days, their agenda has gotten increasingly more desperate. For instance, their Top 10 Reasons Not To Vote for Obama which so clearly states bias that it’s hard to believe anyone would have illusions of “fair and balanced” reporting afterward. But I’m sure they do, well at least Fox News does…

Luckily for me, I can laugh this all off. But it’s the kind of laughter that’s more of a protection than an expression. I think the real problem here is not really with just Roger Ailes and his Fox News agenda [make sure to note he served as media advisor exclusively to Nixon, Reagan and H. Bush], but with The Free Press in general, and what has grown into a huge advertising market. The press ought to be a lone wolf operating independently of profit or influence in order to bring us the clearest story possible. Now that’s mostly impossible as history is a matter of storytelling, and that story will always be tipped one way or another, but still, there are differences between the flaws of reporting on an event from one perspective and maliciously attempting to skew a story in favor of one viewpoint.

Take doctors for example. They have that whole Hippocratic oath thingy that protects us patients from falling victim to possible pitfalls of abuse of their power. That’s worked out pretty good. Or wait… not totally. Last time I was at the doctor I saw Cialis pens and other pharmaceutical paraphernalia lying around waiting to be sprung on me at a higher cost. Fortunately, I don’t have E.D. but what about Zoloft, depression medicine? A band-aid for a deeper problem, or Ritalin, etc. etc. Doctors make money from getting patients to use drugs that aren’t always the best thing for them. It’s a competitive market, and needless to say, a lucrative one. So lucrative that pharmaceutical companies make up the largest section of Washington lobbyists in the country. So our health is in the hands of Pfizer and Wyeth et. al. I’d rather it be in the hands of the good Hippo’ed Doc who wants the best for me.

News is no different. CNN has HDTVs with multi-touch and exorbitant applications all trying to be the biggest Doplar Radar on the block. Every major news outlet is scrambling to be the one with the most bells and whistles so they can bring in the most viewers, the most often so insurance companies will want to advertise on their airtime. These 24 hours news outlets aren’t interested quality of news, nor about the honorable pursuit of honest, timely reporting. They want ratings and that’s it. There is one news source that transcends this and it’s no mistake. It’s PBS. Why? Well they are not-for-profit, making them uninterested in ratings, advertisements or fancy gadgets… just good reporting. Capitalism is good for us for the most part. But there are services that become corrupt when exposed to it. Namely those that shouldn’t be wrapped up in the business of making money, but rather be interested in the business of doing the right thing.

Check out this interview with Biden from who knows what member of the press. The youtube comments are worth a laugh as well.

Watch the full interview here, it’s great and puts me at ease on some of the issues we face today. Thank you PBS. Why does PBS kick so much ass?