America's Myopic News Services

As an American I fully understand the desire to see all things American. However, in this age of Internet, Global Economy, International Terrorism, and World Travel why do American NEWS outlets rarely, if ever, show us what is going on outside the borders of the United States?

Are we that afraid of what's out there? Did someone decide that looking beyond our borders is just too un-American for words? Or is it something else?

Is it the fear of knowledge? Is it the institutional mindset of news agencies, regardless of individual slant left or right, that if American citizens begin to see, learn and understand that there is a huge world of good, bad and ugly out there we will stop watching the slorpping buckets of poo they are force feeding us 24/7/365?

With events of significance happening worldwide why do I have to fight through the Anna Nichol Smith story on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, MSNBC, CNN, FOX NEWS, CNBC, as well as every other local affiliate of those channels to find even a tiny morsel of information about Iranian nuclear plans or the status of Israeli talks with the Palestinians?

For example, CNN's "Reliable Sources", bills itself as, "one of television's only regular programs to examine how journalists do their jobs and how the media affect the stories they cover"(as per CNN.com). Well, today "Reliable Sources" host Howard Kurtz wasn't concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin crushing the Russian free press and individual free expression. Nor was he upset at the limited coverage of continued rioting in Denmark.

No, Mr. Kurtz (and CNN) wasn't even moved to discuss how, with all the major news outlets available to cover stories of importance, there remained a complete absence of coverage of Hugo Chavez' on going plans to turn all of South America against the U.S. and toward his totalitarian way of thinking one nation at a time, bribe by bribe.

Instead Mr. Kurtz and his fellow journalists were yapping like teenagers with the latest hot gossip about CBS news. Not about the accuracy, honesty or professionalism of the CBS Evening News, but rather about whether Americans want to get there news from a reporter like Katie Couric who has no "real" experience as a big time news anchor. WHAT???

No wonder I log onto as many foreign sites as I can. Sure they too have their slants, but at least they are telling news, not gossip or punditry disguised as news. Did you know that a California Highway Patrol Sergeant checked on an apparently disabled vehicle and found a rental truck containing about three tons of marijuana? That's about $20 million in weed this one cop got off the streets by simply doing his job. So who covered this huge seizure, ABC - nope, CBS -nope, CNN - nope again. It was reported to the world by BBC News. A huge seizure of drugs in one of our largest states and the ONLY place I found a report beyond the local area was on the BBC.

THAT'S JUST SAD!