Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the families of both Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, discusses the latest on both cases.
It used to be that the only way to hear the latest news was to listen to the local town crier bellowing out the latest news. However, his limited distance and sources of information made him a poor choice for current news. The town crier was outclassed by the newssheet, which was portable, sharable, and could be preserved for future use. Print news was stuck in time, while radio and television could only report yesterday’s events. Today, cable TV has one-upped even broadcast news.
Streaming news, on the other hand, is a revolutionary medium that sets alight decades of kindling surrounding traditional broadcast TV. Because it’s available on demand, streaming news arrives whenever and wherever the viewer wants it. This democratizes the news experience and eliminates the notion of scarcity in the media equation. This is a good thing for everyone involved in the news industry. However, it’s not without its drawbacks.
Broadcast and cable news are profitable businesses. CNN, Fox, and MSNBC are predicted to net $3 billion in profits by 2020, and free news streams are eager to snag a slice of that profit. The news on these free news services is reminiscent of cable–the broadcast and cable channels. These free streaming news sites are essentially telling viewers that they can slash their cable subscription while still accessing cable-quality news. Streaming is not without controversy, however.
