The visual rather than textual presentation of information more readily lends itself to the manipulation of the audience. Such hasty generalization is less common in textual information presentation. The commercialization of the video world and the competition for ratings influences program material. Whether 500 cable channels will alter this fact remains to be seen. Receiving information visually is more passive.
Visual information presents the images immediately, requiring no such creative generation.
Brain wave experiments show that watching television puts the brain into a state of passivity not much different from hypnosis. Reading calls upon the imagination, while watching visual media often precludes the imagination. TV news reduces all events to nearly the same level of importance. The dog show may, in fact, receive more air time. The practice of newspeople of treating every event with the same flat demeanor only enhances this seeming equivalency.