In a recent speech before arts and media representatives from China, Jennifer offered a cross section of the current media marketplace. The following are excerpts from her presentation.

We have a very complicated personal relationship with our news media and entertainment sources. Did you know, for example, that men and women approach the news differently? (see “Emotions,” below)

I encourage you to be "good news consumer." Don't be passive. Know what you and you family are looking at, ask questions and speak up if you fret that culture and credibility are suffering through shoddy reporting or disturbing content.

The nation is getting a little weary: Americans may watch an average of 12 to 17 hours of television a week, but they continue to hate what they see.  When asked which of the new fall programs they were looking forward to viewing, a whopping 86 percent said they were anticipating "nothing," were unsure of the lineup or dismissed the new offerings altogether, according to a poll released yesterday by the Associated Press and AOL.

Viewers see a dim future. Almost two-thirds — 62 percent — say TV programming in general is "getting worse." Among evangelical Christians, the number was 85 percent, the survey found. 

Some programming proved more irksome than others. 

There are too many reality TV shows on the air; the genre was cited by 71 percent of the respondents as being too abundant. Crime and talk shows followed, each cited by 49 percent, and game shows, cited by a third. Least offensive was news, sports and dramatic programming — found in appropriate amounts by the majority of respondents. 

News, in fact, showed some promise. The findings revealed that 28 percent of Americans would like to see more news on television, compared with 17 percent in a similar survey taken two years ago. 

"This is all very telling about the complicated relationships people have with their television. We have so much to chose from right now — some good, some bad. But most Americans tend to fall back into the idea that TV will forever be the 'idiot box' and the 'boob tube,' “ said Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University broadcast professor and director of the school's Bleier Center for the Study of TV and Popular Culture. 

"There's a divide between our opinions and our behavior here. Americans check off all the boxes on a survey saying TV stinks with one hand, but they've got the other hand on that TV remote, believe me. They're complaining, but they're still watching," Mr. Thompson said. 

The survey, however, revealed that the respondents were, for the most part, politically engaged. More than three-quarters were registered voters — with a few curious particulars. A third said they were Democrat, 20 percent were Republican and 20 percent independent. But 24 percent also said they were "none of these." 

Anticipation was tepid for even prime-time heavyweights, meanwhile. Only a quarter said they were looking forward a great deal to NBC's "CSI," while CBS' "Survivor" was voted the program viewers most hoped would be canceled. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was called "most offensive," eclipsing even "Jerry Springer" and "South Park" on the unpopularity parade.  The survey of 1,204 adults was conducted Aug. 24-27 and has a margin of error of three percentage points. 

Meanwhile, assorted studies reveal more of our media habits. 

The vast majority of American voters detect the presence of political bias in the mainstream news media. Sentiment is strong: 83 percent of likely voters think bias is "alive and well." Of that number, 64 percent said the press leans left, while slightly more than a quarter - 28 percent - said there was a conservative bias. (Zogby Polls)

124 million Americans currently read 1,452 newspapers nationwide. And contrary to some reports, the newspaper is not "dead.”

The trust factor: 66 percent of those who follow political news want to retrieve it in a newspaper, creating a very specific "niche" market (Project for Excellence in Journalism) while 66 percent look to newspapers for solid information.  Just 13 percent cited the Internet.  (University of Southern California)

Connections: 86 percent of us say we "enjoy" keeping up with news, 64 percent "like" all the information from the news media and do not feel overwhelmed. (Pew Research Center)

Emotions: Men and women use news media differently. Men choose articles which fuel their "anger" over an issue; women choose articles to help dissipate their anger.  "News consumption is not motivated just by information concerns. We use news to regulate our moods," said researchers.  (University of Michigan).

The landscape: Focus is shifting in journalism from an "argument culture" to an "answer culture," according to the Pew Research Center's "State of the Media 2007".

SHOCKER: 57 million blogs now exist, with 100,000 created EACH day. (Technorati)

Forward thinking: 80 percent of newspaper editors welcome "new media" while 85 percent are optimistic about the future of newspapers. (American Society of Newspaper Editors)

Optimism: 75 percent of newspaper editors perceive their papers as a ”conversation" with readers and value that exchange, while a majority  (51 percent) say the quality of journalism will improve.  (World Association of Newspapers, which represents 18,000 dailies worldwide)