Tell Me Later, Not Now

When did broadcast news become part guesswork? My local station does it less, but they all do, especially national news. Take, for example, tonight’s State of the Union Address. News people are telling us what Biden might say and what the Republican response might be. They even have guests on to discuss what might be said. Yes, they’ve been given hints via press releases, but only generalities. Not the President’s actual ideas, words, tone of voice, or gestures, all of which convey meaning. The same is true when, say, a Secretary plans to go to China for talks. Or when a jury is deciding on a verdict in an important trial.

I say, don’t tell me what might happen. Instead, use that time to give me more news stories.

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