Peter R. Kann, Chairman of Dow Jones, lists ten disturbing trends in mass media. From Wall Street Journal (subscr. req.) via Robert:
1. The blurring of the lines between journalism and entertainment.
2. The blurring of lines between news and opinion.
3. The blending of news and advertising, sponsorships or other commercial relationships.
4. The problems and pitfalls inherent in pack journalism.
5. The issue of conflict and context.
6. The exaggerated tendency toward pessimism.
7. The growing media fascination with the bizarre, the perverse and the pathological — John Mark Karr journalism.
8. Social orthodoxy, or political correctness.
9. The media’s short attention span.
10. The matter of [the media’s] power.