Natchez &8212; Viewers of television news may have more choices today than 40 years ago, but that has not provided a better-informed public, said Marc Doyle, veteran journalist and documentary producer of Atlanta and Natchez.

Speaking to the Natchez Rotary Club on Wednesday, Doyle said 38 years ago, when he entered television with CBS News, &8220;Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America.&8221;

Today, however, journalists receive low rankings among Americans for telling the truth, he said.

&8220;Television has evolved from a mass media marketplace to a fragmented marketplace,&8221; said Doyle, whose first official television interview for CBS News was with the then district attorney of Philadelphia, Pa., Arlen Spector.

Doyle went on to become head of news for CBS in Atlanta and then head of station. Early in his career, he twice was named television news leader of the year by United Press International

Today, dozens of television outlets are competing for viewers and for advertising dollars, Doyle said. &8220;So stations began to do things to attract viewers. What we have is like a nightmare come true. Most people now don&8217;t know the difference between news and commentary.&8221;

A native of Philadelphia, Doyle is married to the former Chesney Blankenstein of Natchez. The husband and wife work together to create informational television programs, now dividing their time between homes in Georgia and in Natchez.

Doyle told the Rotary audience that the 24-hour news channels have been a driving force in the new age of more information but less-informed people.

Raw, unedited video plays on the 24-hour channels to fill time rather than to inform. &8220;It&8217;s called &8216;feeding the beast,&8217;&8221; he said.

Spin masters &8220;manipulate the truth in support of a message,&8221; which is repeated over and over to convince viewers the message is the truth.

In addition, news on the Internet has made information more easily accessible but not necessarily accurate.

Advertisers influence news reporting, as well. In the early days of television news, the 30-minute daily news programs operated as a &8220;public service, not a business,&8221; Doyle said.

&8220;Our personal responsibility to be informed is more important than ever,&8221; he said. &8220;It is possible but not easy to be well informed today.&8221;

He went on to praise the number of journalists who continue the tradition of truth seeking and, in particular, those who have given their lives in places such as Iraq while covering the story there.

Doyle said the technology of television has an exciting future. &8220;I have a great deal of confidence in the technology side of television.&8221;

In the future, television will be on demand and it will be interactive. &8220;And it will be expensive,&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s not yet clear who is going to pay for it.&8221;