"An MSNBC producer who resigned last month published a scathing resignation letter Monday in which she blasted the television news industry for blocking “diversity of thought and content” while amplifying “fringe voices and events … all because it pumps up the ratings.”
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Pekary said her colleagues sought content that would boost the network’s ratings rather than inform viewers. “Context and factual data are often considered too cumbersome for the audience,” Pekary said. “There may be some truth to that (our education system really should improve the critical thinking skills of Americans) – but another hard truth is that it is the job of journalists to teach and inform, which means they might need to figure out a better way to do that.”
She added: “Occasionally, the producers will choose to do a topic or story without regard for how they think it will rate, but that is the exception, not the rule. Due to the simple structure of the industry – the desire to charge more money for commercials, as well as the ratings bonuses that top-tier decision-makers earn – they always relapse into their old profitable programming habits.” ...."
MSNBC Producer Ariana Pekary Resignation Letter: TV News is a 'Cancer'