Dumb & Dumber

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The above, courtesy of Gawker Media, shows a TV news anchor from the mid-western state of Indiana trying to report a rather ironic story about how American school kids who end up doing poorly on tests are the ones who say school is too easy.

Except the joke is on the local TV station. The behind-the-camera staffer who committed this blooper needs a refresher course on the distinctions between “two” and “too”.

It would be hilarious were it also not a reflection on the pitiful state of American television news. And perhaps of the state of media everywhere.

Just the other day I was in the gym when I heard one news anchor ask another something to the effect of, “But dogs and cats do smile, don’t they?”

It’s not much of a leap then to imagine that many people – and yes, that includes me – NEVER watch local TV news in America. Unless of course you want the local weather forecast and need to know if you should hide in the basement because a tornado is headed your way.

But the increasing focus on the inane and the mundane, coupled with the slackening attitude toward error is something that even national broadcasters are guilty of.

Witness what happened at CNN at the end of June.

The entire nation was waiting to hear how the US Supreme Court had ruled on President Barack Obama’s landmark health care reform law. One big question that the Supreme Court would answer was whether the law – especially the mandate requiring every American to get insurance – was constitutional.

CNN got the news wrong. FOR SEVEN MINUTES – an eternity in broadcast journalism – they reported that the Supreme Court had ruled that part of the law was unconstitutional. They ended up confusing both me and Obama.

Fox News also reported it incorrectly initially. But someone there had half a brain and was following a respected blogger of the Supreme Court news who tweeted the news clearly.

Obviously no one at CNN has heard of Twitter.

The news organisation has begun an internal investigation.

I am hoping some heads will roll. Otherwise, innocent bloopers will become giant blunders. And all that will lead to is further shrinking of media credibility. Not a place where I want to go.