The IFC Media project, to run on the U.S.'s Independent Film Channels, is to provide a six-part look at how the news comes to be.
As self-absorbed as the news media can sometimes be, only a small amount of self-criticism appears on television.
The cable news networks seldom speak about their infatuation with stories of white women gone missing or delve into their military analysts’ conflicts of interest. But a new series on the Independent Film Channel, “The IFC Media Project,” finds plenty to be introspective about.
The program, which begins on Tuesday, calls itself a “user’s guide to how the news gets made.” It examines a wide range of subjects, from coverage of the financial crisis to the narrative of the “war on drugs.”
“The point of the show is that American journalism and especially broadcast journalism right now seems to be spiraling downward,” said Gideon Yago, the host of the six half-hour installments.
Mr. Yago, 29, may seem too young to be disillusioned about journalism, but his seven years spent at MTV News and his contributions to CBS News would suggest otherwise. In an interview last week, he said he had watched “news stories that were super-relevant get the kibosh because Purina had bought the first hour of the morning show and they wanted to do a profile on fat cats.” He added, though, that the practices examined on the program are not only ones he has witnessed personally.
Asked if he has become a journalistic cynic, he responded, “That, my friend, is the understatement of the year.” He then quoted a line from the 1987 film “Broadcast News”: “You’re lucky if you can get out while you could still cry.“