On Local News

I've started watching the 11 o'clock news, and I must admit it has become a sort of late-night guilty pleasure. Hmmm...maybe the words "news" and "guilty pleasure" should be at odds. But the reason I say this is because it's not really the news I enjoy watching; it's the way WNCN Chapel Hill and Raleigh's local news station frames stories that's so entertaining. Last night, their video of NC governor Pat McCrory defending the recent voter ID legislation against the US Department of Justice was particularly amusing. After his fiery defense of the legislation, WNCN proceeded to display statistics about how North Carolina only had 28 possible cases of voter registration fraud out of nearly 4 million voters, making McCrory's claims appear foolish at best. My favorite is when they interview regular citizens, clearly oblivious to the event or person being questioned, and then actually air them! And it's astounding how WNCN goes out of its way to get stories that are dramatic, depressing, and sensational--even in the weather. For example, since the weather forecast for the rest of the week is mild and pleasant, the weatherman spent about 15 minutes contemplating future storms and zooming the map over tropical storms on the cost of Africa! Oh, how I can't wait for tonight's take on the government shutdown!