“Fox News isn’t news” was a status update I once saw on Facebook. That is a bold claim to some and an obvious statement to many. But what if I said, MSNBC, CNN and HLN, CNN’s sister station, aren’t news either? Now you might be a bit confused. How can all of the U.S. cable news networks not be news? The answer to that not only lies in how the 24 hour news system is set up, but in the fact we’ve let this happen. We let these news networks kill journalism.

The problem is in how these television networks run both news content and entertainment programming at the same time. Yes, there’s entertainment programming on these channels, just in case you didn’t know. And on these programs, there are actors and these actors bring on “guests” who also “contribute” to the show. What shows are the news and which are the entertainment?

That’s a tough line to draw sometimes, but for example on Fox News shows such as “The O’Reilly Factor” and “The Sean Hannity Show,” and on CNN shows such as “Nancy Grace,” are talk shows typically focused on various news topics. Shows like “Fox Report” with Sheppard Smith or “CNN Newsroom” with its various anchors are actual attempts at a legitimate newscast.

Now, the real issue here is that most Americans still think that TV is real and whatever these people say on the TV is truth, and when the commentators lie, they’ve broken some sort of moral code or obligation to society. Go ahead, write to Fox News or CNN telling them to pull their prime-time talk show hosts because they’re lying on TV. You have to remember, the only reason these stations exist is to make money, and they’ll do whatever they can to make people tune into TV to show them their ads.

People watching these programs can be split into two groups: those who believe the ignorant lies these commentators are making on TV and those who are sitting on the edge of their seat ready to shout at their TV’s to call out O’Reilly on his “No Spin Zone.” Whether or not these commentators actually believe what they say on TV, is also a factor. Are they acting in order to get viewers, or do they actually believe what they’re saying? That’s really up to you to decide, but just remember the golden rule of lying: “It’s not a lie if you believe it.”

In essence, these programs are like the opinion section in a newspaper. The information in this article might be “news” to you, but it’s not; it’s just me giving my opinion. And that’s all those programs are; you can disagree with whatever they are talking about, but don’t be as ignorant as to think that they’re even attempting to maintain some level of journalistic credibility, as it’s far from it at this point. I took a political science course on foreign affairs at Iowa State a last year, and the professor made a statement that stuck with me.

When asked about what news sources we should be checking for current events, in addition to sources like BBC, she told us to check Al Jazeera. Not because they’re always right but because it’s good to check both side of every issue before you can decide for yourself the truth.