Serious news stories are dying in large numbers on the battlefield of TV ratings. And what is even sadder is that even when they do get on the “network” bus, they have to sit at the back. December 22, 2015 was a real bad day for them, perhaps the baddest so far in their history.
That day, the six-headline segment of the NBC Nightly News opened with Mr. Donald Trump’s speculations on Mrs. Hillary Clinton’s bathroom habits. The forth story was about a “stunning accomplishment” in the field of space research, an achievement that has the potential to reduce 100-fold cost of space travel. The fifth story was about a “revolutionary” life-saving cancer treatment. If you are wondering, the second, third and sixth items dealt with the unusually warm winter weather so far, last minute travel risks and a cute Santa helper story.
By the way, have fun convincing your teenager to take seriously STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects.