What I find most interesting about the financial crisis is that it gives the media what they've always wanted and never gotten. Most media spin today, in the world of a thousand 24-hour news channels, involves making or blowing out of proportion a relative non-story. Ellen had her dog taken away? Let's all discuss for three days. There is a minor food recall? Let's fill the channels with pundits talking about what could have happened.
The financial crisis is a real, honest-to-god story, what actual journalists (and not mere pundits or TV personalities) would sell their first-born for. I'd not find it out of the question for the spin machine to use its power to keep the story going as long as possible, trying to push the urgent need for a bailout and at the same time trying to sow fear of a hurried bill that gives the Fed or the banks carte blanche. It is in the media's interest for us to be talking about this come January.
-- JohnPowerHely - 02 Oct 2008 |