What if we try deliberate pandering?

[mithriltabby]

On an online forum, someone suggested that perhaps more Americans would be better informed if there were a show like the Naked News (link not safe for work) attracting attention while dispensing useful facts.

That might be just what we need— to get past American censors, it’d need to be a show featuring gorgeous, scantily clad babes and hunks (centerfold models, porn stars, anyone eyecatching who can deliver the lines) delivering hard-hitting facts and analysis in language that’s as blunt as possible without crossing the line into slander. Anchors could make a point of doing a strip tease during any exposé story (finally getting down to topically relevant theme underwear), and engage emotions other than lust by trotting out examples of lying and hypocrisy for public ridicule. They could call it something like the Nearly Naked News (N³) or the Nearly Naked News Network (N⁴) or the Sexy Independent News Network (SINN), and would need to at least start out on basic cable. And they’d need a staff of competent journalists and writers behind the scenes.

It’d be an effective metaphor for making a point: any time someone complained, they could air clips of prime-time television violence and say, “So this is okay for TV, but our show isn’t?” For that matter, the presenters could lead thoroughly scandalous lives off screen and respond to any aspersions by pointing out that when they’re on screen, they’re delivering facts, and people shouldn’t be distracted by ad hominem arguments.

How else could such a show pander to the lowest common denominator? And once we’ve come up with the most sleazy, attention-getting way of delivering news, who should I send the idea to— Larry Flynt? And would this even work, or would the lying, distorting networks just adjust to match, with Foxy News, MSNBC-Playboy, and CNN Adult?

Comments

[sistercoyote.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but when viewers of a COMEDY show are better informed than viewers of the news, something like this starts to sound like a really good idea.

[grandmoffdavid.livejournal.com]

I was about to say. Personally, I'm pretty happy that the Daily Show has dropped their thin vener of civility towards other news shows and started calling them on their crap. (Last night's episode with Ed Helms collapsing from all the spinning at the debates while crying out, "It's all bullshit!" on the debate floor no less, was priceless.)

[mithriltabby]

It could be a good segment for N³, too: playing clips from other networks and excoriating and lambasting them for their betrayal of journalistic principles. People might tune in just to hear a good raking over the coals, even if they weren’t tuning in to drool over the news anchors.

They could have similar segments for other topics: “Your tax dollars at work”, ”Darwin Awards”, “Stupid Celebrity of the Day”...