Although it’s not a clever acronym for the points of the compass, the word NEWS has maintained a lofty importance, far greater than its mere four letters, for the better part of four centuries. There’s a long, continuous arc from trusted confidents collecting tidbits of information to whisper in the ears of kings, queens and potentates, criers bellowing broadcasts from town squares and pamphleteers posting pertinent perspectives, to the preponderance of journalistic endeavors in print, broadcast and various social media. News is simultaneously vital, inconsequential, revelatory and mundane. In the golden age of broadcasting, News was the lifeline to a world that quickly accepted then relied on technology to tell it the truth…and, there’s the rub. In a blink, News became business, and its veracity has become too often blurred by a commitment to the bottom line. The primarily pure reportage of the reliable Cronkites, Huntleys, Brinkleys and Rathers has given way to opinionated celebrities, fast-talking their sides of the story in between long, long sequences of advertising for pharmaceutical solutions to unpronounceable maladies, wonder bras, car insurance and investment opportunities. Then, there’s fairytale FOX News and OAN, presenting mostly unsubstantiated bullshit, wrapped in News-like sheep’s clothing. In a world where every step, every decision, dire or frivolous, can require a reliable News feed, we are sadly immersed in a contradictory, funhouse mirror maze that can lead to unimaginable consequences like electing a dangerous, sociopathic moron President, or inciting insurrection, or leaving Tucker Carlson’s mic on while he’s speaking. Even the more fact-checkable News networks have become so stylized and repetitive that it’s not hard to fathom why so many people have turned a deaf ear to their truthiness. Rachel Maddow, whose cable viewership is ranked #1 and who consistently finds and reports on some of the most compelling stories of the day, has developed such a snarky, teasing preamble to her reveal, that, if TV were only as interactive as it should be by now, I would slap her silly. The 24-hour News cycle, (1 hour-11 minutes if you remove the commercials), should provide the guidelines, the veritable handbook for tip-toing through the minefield of the 21st century instead of being akin to a street hustler’s shell game.
And…that’s the News! Film, (perhaps), at 11.