Are shows such as Today Tonight and A Current Affair really current affairs shows? Were they current affairs shows long ago?
I don't know about the second question (due to my memory and age), but I think it's somewhat safe to say that these shows aren't really current affairs of the 'news' sort.
I speak about Today Tonight because that's what I've seen more of. Advertising their upcoming segments, they slap their 'exclusive' label consistently (exclusive survey to see how much water is in your meat ???) How to buy cheap food, how to wear fashion-conforming clothing, the latest 'goss' on celebrities. Not current affairs. More like lifestyle show, --probably a weekday alternative to the Friday only 'Better Homes and Gardens'.
A Current Affair is not any better. The fact that they call themselves 'A Current Affair', you'd think they'll actually have current affairs, not celebrity scandals.
And no, celebrity scandals are not current affairs. It's gossip. 'True' gossip occasionally, but still gossip.
So what do I call 'current affairs'? Debates on immigration policies and inhumane treatment of people, the existence of discrimination in countries supposed free, the still existing death penalty in various countries (including the US), how we can slow and reverse global warming. Instead, current affairs appear on news-news outlets, and selected pages in Broadsheet newspapers.
I would call this 'degradation' of news media into goss media, but people will probably disagree with me and call it 'change', right?
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