Spot of bother with the state of the press, mayhaps?

One thing that really bothers me in this country is the sheer amount of complete and unadulterated horseshit I see on the rare occasions that I tune a television set to a "news" station or show. The majority of it isn't news at all, but instead random insignificant gimmicky crap. And when they're not just trying to fill time, they try to scare viewers into watching by exaggerating nonexistent threats like how video games turn kids into murderers or how too much chocolate can make you spontaneously die or any number of ridiculous headlines.

Something very seriously needs to change. The whole purpose of the First Amendment is to keep the people informed, not blissfully ignorant or profitably paranoid. Seriously, whatever happened to reporting meaningful stories? And the truth, remember that? Wouldn't it be fantastic if all of the media weren't owned and controlled as, more or less, corporate puppets? We're never going to get any form of real truth if the people in power (who, let's face it, more often than not have something unsavory to hide) control what the masses watch, read, or hear.

I know what you're thinking: Willows, you pessimistic fuck, why don't you try thinking of a solution instead of just whining all the time? Well guess what assholes, I don't have to. Al Gore apparently already invented the internet.

That's right, my friends, the great vast tube-o-sphere. As full of idiots, twits, and fuckwads as it can often be, it is also one of the last true bastions of real, honest-to-God free speech left in this country (Hell, probably the whole world, the way capitalism is spreading its greedy little tentacles these days). Thanks to the world wide web, anybody can report the news. While this technically means (as clearly evidenced by the rise of the blogosphere) that ignorant, irresponsible clods can go on about nearly anything without any kind of accountability or reliability, it also presents a great opportunity for fans of those currently elusive bastards, honesty and integrity.

Just imagine: a news source online (apart from the blogs and sites already affiliated with the major media corporations) with real, full-time reporters who can pursue stories that actually matter, and report the full truth without fear of censorship or termination from the company fat cats. A place for people who aren't out to promote any kind of political agenda, who won't be bought or controlled, to expose the kind of corruption and underhanded dealings that got the media into its current state in the first place.

Maybe it's hopeless. Maybe the world's too far gone to be saved. But Goddamnit, I'm a young, idealistic writer and future journalist. I have to believe that this can work, that enough independent thinkers in an ocean of automatons can change the world, if only to tell myself that there's still a chance for my future to be meaningful.