Don't Tell Me The Results!

I am a big fan of technology and the Internet age -- the rise of cyberspace has allowed me to publish this blog, makes everyday tasks much easier and provides hours of online procrastination. But the instant gratification, Need to Know Now!! culture that it has spawned is often problematic. The latest example -- the results of the Olympics.

An hour ago, I grew bored at work and decided to check out the New York Times homepage, as I had not read today's issue. What am I greeted with? A banner headline telling me the results of tonight's figure-skating competition. What?? Now that I knew the result, I checked out ESPN -- same thing. CNN/SI -- same thing!! Why do these Internet news sites insist on making it impossible to go through the day without knowing the results of competitions that will be shown that night. Well, I thought, perhaps they are trying to scoop the rival NBC network by taking away the drama from tonight's broadcast. But, when I visited NBCOlympics.com, guess what I found? A banner headline telling me the result! And NBC wonders why its ratings are so low.

Now, I have no problem with news sites featuring stories about the competitions, including the results, posted in real time. Many people want to know, and they should be able to. But a lot of people don't want to know. Should the major news organizations not respect this desire?

It would not be hard for new sites to have a link on the homepage that says, "Dramatic Result in Ladies Figure Skating! Click here for results!" Putting this on the page, rather a banner headline with the result, would allow the sites to maintain the "We are the fastest" bragging rights, while still allowing some fans to watch the broadcast in suspense. It seems to me that part of the responsibility of the news media is not only to satisfy the public's thirst for knowledge, but also to respect the public's desire not to know, at least for six hours.

One news site has it right. ABCnews.com has a link that says "Get the results here first" without spoiling the ending. You can keep up with the day's latest news, and you maintain the option of learning the results of events that will be televised tonight. If they continue this, then I guarantee that during the next Olympics, ABC news will get my business. Other sites won't, until they respect my right not to know.

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