This clip from JibJab, "What We Call the News" satires the sorry state our news media. As the video points out news was more about news instead of about flashy graphics. This is nothing new and we’ve discussed it in class. It isn’t necessarily about the news itself; it’s about ratings which means it’s about profit. It’s that motive which dictates what we see on the news. We get intensive coverage of the latest happenings in the entertainment world but not what’s happening half way around the world.
The clip starts off in black and white to evoke the feeling of 1950’s America when America had more faith in the news programs they watched. The clip moves to color and shows a hook yanking out Walter Cronkite symbolizing the removal of the sort of integrity he embodied. The video goes into flashy graphics that overfill the screen leaving no room for the anchor. The lyrics of the song are also displayed on a running scroll at the bottom of the screen just like today’s news media. The video then mentions some memorable news stories of the past decade. We remember them because of the overwhelming amount of coverage they received. As a final bit of satire the song in the video is interrupted at the end by a breaking news story – President Bush locked out of a room. So sit back, enjoy the clip and as the song says, let it turn your brain to goo.
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