With a new ideology in office, Fox News is no longer the power house serving its admnisatration loyally. Instead, MSNBC seems to be emerging as a force. Last night on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart compared the networks:

I loved this segment, because I saw those same commericals on both the networks. The MSNBC one is so blatantly pro-Obama that it makes me question how much of a watchdog they can be, while the Fox News one exploits America’s insecurities to the point I don’t trust them for any clarity in sorting out of the day’s events.

When it comes down to it, this is network news and no matter who comes out dominant, the money-grubbing nature of network news will prevail. Stewart acknowledged MSNBC’s weekend lineup, and over the break I had the pleasure to witness a “Caught on Camera” special. Though it was sensationalism at its finest I couldn’t look away. I equate this show’s effect on me to the effect that would be had on a 10-year old who just saw the Jonas Brothers spontaneously combust at the Kid’s Choice Awards. My jaw hung open as I watched brutal crimes being caught on camera.

The one that affected me most was a video of an old man pumping gas. You see via security camera, a large car jacker stroll up to the man and start punching him in the head, not one, not two, but twenty-one times. He then gets in the car and drives off while the old man collapses into a ball on the ground. Then the announcer drops the bomb on you and reveals a crowd of people gathered watching the man get punched repeatedly as if they were watching a movie being filmed about old men getting socked. Then, the double shocker comes as after the carjacker leaves, the crowd decides that’s that, gets into their cars and drives off, LEAVING THE MAN LYING THERE.

I tell this story not just to point out the vast shortcomings of humanity, but rather to point out the vast shortcomings of cable news. These are not clips they’re airing to bring justice to the victim because in most cases, the suspect had already been apprehended. These clips keep more sets on MSNBC, because you really can’t look away. Not many people got fed up and switched it at punch fifteen because of a desensitized society.

So maybe MSNBC isn’t going to help us run a country that has proven to be kind of tough to run. Fox News certainly doesn’t have the track record for it, and for every exploitative MSNBC clip, there are three CNN clips about skydiving dogs. (I searched for the article after I came up with that off the top of my head, and what do you know).

I can’t write off these channels completely because I do believe punditry has its virtues. Stars will come out of this election in the media, but maybe cable news isn’t the only place to look. The garbage that passes for news is alays going to be there, but the Internet provides selectivity. People are still going to clip “Old Man Gets Punched 21 Times,” videos, but they have more of a chance not to than ever before. Baby steps America…