There was a general talent that people had....at least up through the 1980s, and I suspect it became diluted in the 1990s, which centered on assessing an event or situation with your own common sense.
You'd see a riot developing and ask three or four questions, and within five minutes....determine that this was an irrational event, with no attachment to reality, or that some city/state leaders had really screwed up, with no ability to clean up the mess.
I began to notice in the 1990s.....news journalists wanted to explain more and more details.....some worthwhile.....some being red-herrings. The minute that you had a moderator and three guests....it start to resemble more of a lecture or brain-wash session....than sharing of information.
The past twenty years? Between MSNBC, NPR, CNN, the WaPo, and NY Times.....I've stepped back a bit and been more careful about what is said or put on the table.
Yeah, I've become ten times more skeptical of stories now....than in 1998.
Watching video with the sound 'dimmed'? Oh I probably spend forty minutes each week watching YouTube in this fashion and gauging the facial expression or the reaction of people....than what is said.
It's almost a talent that we need to introduce to 12-year old kids.....getting them to look at what's going on, and to assess their own opinion.
Screwed-up? Maybe. It seems like a whole bunch of folks have work.....that doesn't seem to be productive, and I'm likely to wonder where they end up going....if let go from their CNN job.
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