Adventures in PR - Media Relations

This chapter got me thinking about the quality of news available to us in this day and age.  As someone who watches very little television news, I rely mainly on websites like The Huffington Post and Google News for obtaining information. I also like to follow a variety of different individuals and organizations on Twitter who post interesting and relevant articles from a variety of different sources. 


I've noticed that in the past year and a half, ever since The Huffington Post merged with AOL, the quality of their news has gone downhill fast. The most popular stories nowadays are almost entirely celebrity based.  The more outlandish the headlines, the more views and comments an article tends to have.  

typical "news" from HuffPo

This is very disheartening. I think as a society we've become conditioned to focus so much on Hollywood and celebrities that people literally couldn't care less about what's going on in our country politically, never mind what's happening on a global scale. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone, but in terms of the masses, I seriously believe people are brainwashed.  


Lately I've been heading over to Al Jazeera English for my news. I love this site for a few different reasons.  First of all, it's not American! The content is actually NEWSWORTHY, objectively written, and unbiased. I don't have to worry about what American corporation might be paying to plug a story. There is no celebrity garbage cluttering up the headlines. 

actual news

I also enjoy this site because it covers news from every single corner of the globe. The stories are fresh and interesting. The people who comment on articles actually seem intelligent and provide scintillating discourse. Many of the stories I find here are not found on other American news websites. Are they censored stories? I'm not sure. But I am sure that many people could benefit from more actual news like what's provided through this site!