Guthrie kidnapping coverage symptomatic of failed mainstream media

 

Guthrie kidnapping coverage symptomatic of failed mainstream media

 

There are critical issues that mainstream media must cover to provide an informed American public. Continued death and destruction of Palestinians in Gaza and their homeland. America on the cusp of war with Iran that may blow up the Middle East. Ukraine being systematically destroyed by failed US proxy war against Russia. Cutting off oil to degrade the Cuban people and force regime change. Obliterating small unarmed boats off Venezuela and the violent kidnapping of its president to score political points back home. Refusal of the Trump administration to release the Epstein files to bring justice to Epstein’s sex trafficking victims. Refusal of the Trump administration to investigate the brutalization, even homicides of innocent citizens in Democratic cities.

 

These just scratch the surface of what mainstream news must cover in depth to foster an informed electorate. But mainstream news is not about informing the public. It is about entertaining the public to bring additional vast riches to the rich folks who run media outlets.

 

Case in point is the lengthy coverage of the February 1 Nancy Guthrie kidnapping in Arizona. Had Guthrie not been the mother of NBC news host Savannah Guthrie, the kidnapping would have been unmentioned as the other roughly 2,100 violent crimes committed on Americans that day.

 

Of course, any crime involving a celebrity will be mentioned on mainstream news. But the Guthrie coverage was both lengthy and largely uninformative while it pushed infinitely more important stories aside.

 

 The other night while watching an important piece on congressional wrangling over release of the Epstein files to bring justice to Epstein’s victims, MSNBC dramatically interrupted coverage with BREAKING NEWS. Why? To spend about 20 minutes to tell we clueless viewers nothing of value. What was the breaking news? A “person of interest” was detained for questioning. That was it. A reporter rushed to the investigation scene to repeat over and over that no information was being released. All the while the door cam video of the masked man at the door was repeated on an endless loop. As they say in Hollywood…’That’s entertainment.’

 

This worthless use of 20 minutes could have been handled in 20 seconds. ‘A person of interest has been detained in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping. No further information has been released.’  

 

Mainstream news coverage of important stories is either non-existent or so superficial it’s worthless.

 

Today legions of Americans lament how 77 million voters can elect an authoritarian con man who, among other crimes, unleashed masked thugs on American streets to inflict senseless violence in the name of law enforcement. Spend a little time watching mainstream news and you’ll know how.