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As a former video editor for Fox News Channel, I've seen the process of creating the news first hand. I say "creating" the news, rather than "reporting", because ever news is manufactured in the same fashion as a cop drama. Teams of Producers and Executives decide which of the thousands of events occurring every day is considered "news".

Because news is broadcast on TV and Radio, and printed in newspapers, it is subject to the same economic laws as a television drama. The decision behind what is "news" is based on what will draw in the most viewers, in order to appease the advertisers that underwrite their news productions.

If you've ever read a textbook from a college course in advertising, you would learn about the complex psychology behind commercials. In order to sell a product, a merchandiser must create an illusory need within the potential consumer. Of course, need is totally fabricated. That's why you didn't even realize you needed the latest and greatest new shampoo or fabric softener until you saw an ad for it. Psychologically, ads are designed to make you feel as if you are inadequate, unsafe, or incomplete without their product.

News operates in the same fashion. The 10 second "teases" that introduce a story are designed to stimulate your most base human emotions: fear, anger, anticipation. The technique was best lampooned in a great Simpsons episode, when news anchor Kent Brockman cuts into the end credits of the Krusty the Clown show by announcing "A certain type of soft drink has been found to be lethal! We won't tell you which one until after weather and sports!"

Once they have you "hooked", psychologically you will feel the need to keep watching until you find out what they were talking about. So when Execs and Producers are choosing what events are "news", they will only focus on things that are outrageous, controversial, spectacular, or violent. The subtleties of more complex issues cannot be condensed into a 10 second sound bite.

The Associate Producers that I worked with at Fox News Channel were recent college grads whose job was to search the Reuters Wire for news stories that "pop". They were then charged with rewriting the stories to give them some "flair". During my tenure, I found myself cutting together many, many stories about escaped Moose wandering through Midwestern towns, tornadoes, and trailer home fires. The actual ratio of the frequency of these events in reality and to their respective air time is grossly exaggerated. I can't

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