Enough about You

P472 Enough about You by Brian Williams

In his article Enough about You, Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly News, is worried that people are too busy celebrating themselves to receive the important news that he works hard to report. Williams says “many have been lured away by the dazzling array of choices and the chance to make their own news” .the audience for his work is routinely ten million or more viewers, but it is nothing like it used to be, he works just as hard as his predecessors did at gathering, writing and presenting the day’s news but to a smaller audience because it is now possible for Americans to consume only what they wish to see and hear. There are internet programs that filter out all but the news that people want to hear, and television programs that already agree with their views. He is saying “The general public would be missing out on some great things”, and “there’s a lot of information out there that citizens in an informed democracy need to know”. Williams believes that people are becoming increasingly distracted with concern for themselves, thus becoming less aware of the important events that take place in our world. I agree with Williams in part because I do not own a television, so I do not watch television to receive the information broadcast from stations such as NBC. On the one hand I am missing out on news and current events, but on the other hand I am not exposed to the propaganda and advertising that regular television viewers receive. I prefer to only receive the news and information that I want. Most of the content on television is entertainment, and I do not have much time for entertainment anyway. So in a way I am too busy celebrating myself. My time is better spent with my family and the people I interact with everyday are where I usually receive news and information. People have time to celebrate themselves because they have turned their attention away from the television, people have alternative ways to see and hear news and information not only from nationally broadcast television stations.