Reposting from a conversation at TED because I think I managed to encapsulate this for myself nicely:
I very rarely engage the news except as reference point for my own research; I take a story reported in one outlet and compare/contrast it nationally or internationally to uncover its most objective rendering; I want those who craft the news to stop making me work so hard just to discover the “bones” of a story under all their “interpretation”.
What I want from the news is a more philosophical and steward-like perspective; an ethical commitment to “be above” the various (mundane, actually) interests of the factious and dichotomous.
I want news to be less about entertainment or the proselytizing of preferential bias and more about the effective, intellectual, and objective analysis of human events and history; in an age where our archival ability has transcended anything previously available or known, I want the news organizations and professionals of our world to more fully accept and embrace that documenting our collective stories has far more reach and import than ratings or advertising dollars; it is more serious and perhaps even more sacred to our future than we know; it deserves better than it receives.
I want such acceptance and embrace to eschew the petty cultural bickerings of politics and national elitism, to step back and truly recognize the long-view of what reporting and documenting news can and should be for the world – a gift of perspective as free as possible from the diverse calumnies we perpetrate in the name of any number of short-sighted perspectives.
I want news that builds insight and understanding among the people of the world rather than building walls that highlight differences and ensures division.
I want news that holds itself obligated to observation and scribing, news that is mindful of perspective rather than hyperbolic potential. I sicken of the “teaser” and the “lead-in” and long for information specialists who strive for accuracy and remove both themselves and their respective organizations from consideration when reporting.