Two-dimensional news reporting

Television news broadcasts rarely deviate from a low standard of journalism that provides the who, what, where, and how, but rarely the why. What is left out is the significance of our news events. Reporters sometimes pass along what “experts” say on the subject, but the experts are safeguarding institutional secrets and priorities at every turn, so the picture is incomplete.

What we see day in and day out is the surface and the sensational, the “breaking news” blood and guts. What seems to be paramount is the attractiveness and stylishness of the reporter, and the visual evidence of the event...