On my way up the ladder, however, I gradually began to see that the image didn't match reality. This is not to say that the events in the latter category are trivial. It's just that when they're splashed across the airwaves with little or no attempt to enlarge our understanding of them, or to put them into context, it's really a waste of airtime. Secondly, important social, political and economic issues such as elections, taxes, health care, affordable housing, wages, the military budget, pollution and corporate crime were generally ignored or presented briefly and superficially, with little or no critical examination. Quite simply, it's the mad rush for ratings and money that drives the news business .
TV stations make money by selling audiences to advertisers, which are, of course, other businesses.
What's good for big business is good for everyone. So you see, I was trying to focus on the big picture and connect it to the small picture. In no uncertain terms, it said that I cannot make any statements or remarks about the station or its sponsors that tend to discredit or reflect unfavorably on them. Otherwise, the entire notion of a commercial free press is only a sad illusion. The idea that it is an illusion becomes more apparent in another passage in the essay.