New news makes you wonder what will be new

As news becomes more accessible, there are more and more layers of uncertainty.

We are in an age when news consumption is at a record high, and news angst is even higher.

Think about it this way: When was the last time you read a story and you did not think “biased” or “see there?” after finishing it?

Defining what news is these days has become a real puzzle; sadly, that term is no longer Walter Cronkite-universally recognized.

Back in the day, the news was the news.

There’s news, which is what you call it when you agree with it. Then there’s fake news, which is what you call it when the other side agrees with it. (And do not confuse “fake news” with incorrect or inaccurate news. They are not the same thing.)

There’s also a relatively new category — let’s call it click-bait that internet sites and news websites push.

There also are subcultures of each, meaning there’s “good news,” which Tiger Woods wants more of, and “bad news,” which Kathy Griffin hopes will go away.

This is the latest trend for those of us who remember “viral” being a sickness sweeping through a school and “trending” being a fashion term.

These definitions more times than not are in the eye of the consumer. That’s fine; after all, the customer has more options than ever before.

How did we get to a place where, in spite of all of the stories available on this newspaper’s website on Tuesday, the top two stories were about a bear sighting in Apison, Tenn., and a McMinn County girl in a non-speaking role in “Baywatch?”

Who started this? The messenger, the message or possibly the message receiver?

The discourse about our daily discourse will be studied for years, but it is clear that on the grand scale, the business of news became more important than the news business.

And every side has participated in it.

Is there a solution? Hard to know, but here’s where I’ll start.

Kathy Griffin, what you did was wrong. It offended me and likely most of America. It has cost you dearly because, as we frequently say, the freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.

But thank you for your apology. We all make mistakes.

And here’s one more: Thank you, Casey McCullum, our McMinn County bikini star in “Baywatch.”

Regardless of the genre of news, we can all celebrate local folks who do well and make headlines.

Whether they see bears or babes.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.