So Much Media, So Little News

[Commentary] The disappearance of what could be called the mental rub-off effect is partly to blame for the fact that many Americans are overloaded with information, yet seem to know less than ever about current events.

As news packaging shifts from general interest to specific interest, it becomes difficult for mass audiences to rub up against the news -- even if accidentally. Not long ago most American homes received at least one daily newspaper. Just idly turning the pages to find the sports section or comics, readers couldn't help but glance at the news headlines, and bits of information tended to rub off. Television, before cable and satellite, was arranged so that most entertainment stopped at the dinner hour and again before bedtime for general-interest news broadcasts. Just turning the dial, or waiting for the weather forecast, viewers couldn't help but sample a bit of hard news. And think how radio used to be. The government basically required stations to run news or "public service" programming—so whether you were listening to rock, country or classical, every hour programs paused for a few minutes of news. The news was hard to avoid, and some of it rubbed off. By contrast, today's boutique media allow many people to skip news altogether.