The end of the lowest common denominator? (or at least an alternative)

Barack Obama's recent speech about race and the media in the US

My favorite quote about Barack Obama's recent speech came from Jon Stewart who said "He spoke to Americans as if they were adults"

Given how large an audience the broadcasters are aiming at, they have to aim for the lowest common denominator to maintain that audience (and sell ads, most importantly). As a result, the TV news has to keep the news easily comprehensible for its entire audience. The level of rational thought required for any discussion or debate needs to be pretty low. Essentially, it must be comprehensible to 12 year olds and high drop outs. (Not that these are the only people who watch the news, but they represent the lowest common denominator)

Obama's speech was a complex and very thoughtful argument but it doesn't lend itself to soundbites very well. If you didn't hear or read the whole speech, then you miss the point of much of it. And the message I got from it, more than anything, is that our media culture is distorting and dividing our nation. But that argument is something that your average 12 year old high school drop out is probably not going to have much interest in understanding. I am hopeful that much of the voting public does have an interest in understanding that and doing something to change it.

Luckily, we live in an age where it's possible to hear Obama's entire speech without relying on media soundbites. The good part about the internet is that the lowest common denominator doesn't have to apply to how you get the news, art, music, film, humor, or anything else, if you don't want it to. Hopefully, the leaders of our democracy will realize that and start using their brains a bit more. Obama's off to a good start.