Hang on. Have we moved on from the popular trend of blaming the audience? CNN is a product. If no one watched it ... blah blah blah.
I hate almost all media anywhere, and I think the feeble excuse that they are catering to an audience that wants vapid shit is sad when CNN themselves claim to be "trendsetters" and responsible for directing the eye of the nation and so on. But there is a grain of truth there, and it's enough to leave me torn about who to blame.
EDIT: thenewgreen said it better when I was typing. Sad but -- but -- systemic.
- and it's enough to leave me torn about who to blame
As a wise woman once said,
- por que no los dos?
The unfortunate thing is, it's both. There's been a growth in celebrity/gossip crap being touted as 'news'; certain media house have seen this as a profitable demographic to cater to (increased views = more advertisements delivered = higher revenue), and it's a self-perpetuating cycle.
The best thing you can do is garner news from a variety of sources, identify biases, an draw your own conclusions. My morning news intake consists of The Australian, News.com.au, Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian (Aus, UK and US editions), BBC UK, CNN (US and International), and often Der Spiegel. Flowed by a dash of /r/conspiracy for some extra balance ;D
*Edit: Typo
CNN is the worst, IMO, precisely because they are supposed to be non-partisan. Everyone knows what a joke Fox is, and MSNBC was created as a specific reaction to it. CNN however predates both of them, and used to be a reputable news source. Apparently, what passes for non-partisan these days is anything that doesn't mention politics or criticize anyone in any meaningful way. Bra-fucking-vo.
I saw a post from NPR in my Facebook feed yesterday and it was about Miley Cyrus's performance. -Sad, but it's systemic.