Bill Carter recently wrote an article about CNN's plummet in ratings for the New York Times.
"CNN had a slightly worse quarter in the fourth quarter of 2009, but the last three months have included compelling news events, like the earthquake in Haiti and the battle over health care, and CNN, which emphasizes its hard news coverage, was apparently unable to benefit." This is particularly interesting because CNN prides itself in timely and engaging reporting about world news coverage.
"About the only break from the bad news for CNN was that March was not as bad as February, when the network had its worst single month in its recent history, finishing behind not only Fox News and MSNBC, but also its sister network HLN — and even CNBC, which had Olympics programming that month." Besides this being somewhat sad and pathetic, it also shows the shift that the media is making. Even television is becoming less popular than online news updates-- especially when it comes to world news.
Is all of this happening because people do not like hearing and seeing bad news? Are they too self-focused to listen to what's happening globally? No. CNN is just not offering what the public wants-- on principle. "CNN executives have steadfastly said that they will not change their approach to prime-time programs, which are led by hosts not aligned with any partisan point of view." Objectivity is the best thing for the public, but what if the public doesn't want it? At the expense of millions of viewers, CNN is holding steadfast. But who's to say what their true motives are? How can this possibly benefit them in the long-run?
"CNN has given no indication that any changes in its lineup are imminent, but recently announced that it would try a series of specials in a talk-show format at 11 p.m." Hopefully this will help. We might be witnessing the slow and painful decline of a dependable news source.
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