The Mundane and the Frightening: The Sorry State of Current Affairs

In this article, Meg Roberts argues that current affairs programs have always been part of the main fodder for TV networks, satisfying the public's need to know, or be told, what's going on around them. Now it seems reality TV has come to satisfy much of this voyeuristic habit and the lines between what makes current affairs programs and what makes reality TV are increasingly blurred as some commercial current affairs shows are now following a formula based on stirring up fear and emotion in the target audience, rather than offering a reliable, insightful and courageous view of current affairs.