Brennan’s Blog

Sometimes as I scan the headlines I feel the need to block out certain stories. If I had my way, CNN.com and other news services would provide a feature which would allow me to rate news stories related to certain topics, people and authors so that I can block out the unwanted junk. They already have an email notification system for certain topics, so this should be an easy addition. My current filter list would include anything related to JonBenet, Michael Jackson, and our friend Tom Cruise. I also want a feature to increase my personal rating for topics I actually do find useful or otherwise interesting. The news about Pluto last week, although somewhat trivial, at least had some merit as news. I would give that a +1 rating.

For years it has been possible to select only the authors you like on Slashdot with your personal preferences. This feature was brought on by Jon Katz who would often publish sensationalized stories filled with inaccuracies designed to garner attention. So the idea of suppressing an author is not unprecedented. You might say that Geraldo Rivera employs the Jon Katz technique. Most of the current talking heads do.

I would break them all down into 3 groupings: commentator, reporter, and journalist. A commentator gives their own personal opinions on the issues and the more biased and extreme, the more they seem to bolster their audience. Commentators would instantly earn a -3 ranking from me. A reporter just gives me the facts without opinion or analysis. These types would get a +3 ranking. And journalists would cover the facts and offer some expert analysis but must keep the partisan comments out of the story. They would also get a +3 ranking. I would estimate about 90% of the talking heads on the 24 hour news channels are in the commentator group. I would like that number to drop and effectively draw a clear line between hard news and infotainment. I would go as far as clearly marking each show as news, opinion or entertainment.

Besides, I do not need the opinions of a commentator who is paid millions to boost their ratings by professing an extreme opinion. Instead I can read from a wide selection of discussion forums and blogs where my peers post their thoughts freely. There are plenty out there.

With all of this aggregate rating information maybe we can get back to what is really news. But would such a micro-rating system really change anything? Or could it make it any worse? If it prevents Ben Affleck from coming up in conversation, I think it just might be worth it.