While the clips from the Onion and Saturday Night Live we watched in class were funny, they also pointed out some dissappointing truths about tv news. In The Onion's Something Happening in Haiti broadcast, the news reporter explains what is happening in Haiti based on another reporter's live reports. However, neither reporter seems to know exactly what is going on. Possible predictions range from an election, to a riot, to a coup, to a picnic. While this situation is obviously humorously exaggerated, I've often felt extremely confused about what's really happening during a live tv broadcast. Sometimes, the news is so fresh that the reporters don't seem to know exactly what is going on and, instead of being able to give a true account of the event, they resort to giving several possibilities of what may be happening. When this happens, I always ask myself "What's the point?"
Saturday Night Live also exaggerates a slightly frustrating aspect of tv news in a parody of Wolf Blitzer. Throughout the reporter's newscast, the newsfeed runs along the bottom of the screen with ridiculous statements such as "Ugh. This Iraq stuff is sooooooo boring!" and a desire for "More Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna!..." (Anna Nicole Smith). Actually this desire is sad but true. Most people would rather watch Anna Nicole Smith than an update on the war in Iraq. No offense to those who watch tv news, but I think I'll stick to reading the paper.