ABSTRACT
The blurring of fact and fiction is part of this larger process. It would be a mistake to equate print with information and other media with entertainment. The transformation of the media system has enormous cultural consequences. As the balance of advertising allocations has shifted, media tend to be used more for amusement and less for the more difficult and important task of enlightenment. The new technology of video and cable is making media increasingly dependent on direct income from consumers. Media that depend on consumers directly are not better than those supported by advertising, but they display a wider range of merit. In a world of disagreeable facts, one live steeped in fiction, mostly seen in one or another video form. The economics of the advertising-supported television industry and of the mainly consumer-supported film and cable industries are inextricably interwoven. The ubiquitous presence of fiction on television and video has virtually eliminated it from both newspapers and magazines.
