News Media Priorities

Just a quick post to highlight why EJB and I even started this blog (and why we continue to despise the news media). If you haven't yet heard, the BBC (and seemingly every other international news network) is reporting that German doctors have used a bone-marrow transplant to cure a man of AIDS. Yes, you read that right...this is a possible cure for AIDS.

'Could this be true,' I thought to myself. 'What wonderful news!' I remarked in my own head. Certainly I can read more about this on CNN or Foxnews. Certainly this type of news calls for front page status. Shockingly - nothing. Well, not nothing. In fact, both cnn.com and foxnews.com did actually pick up the story, but hid the link in the bottom corner of the page (accessed by scrolling down, sifting through other "today's news" stories and following the links).

So what is it that CNN and Foxnews found to be more important than a possible cure for freakin AIDS??

CNN headline: "Breaking News: Palin: I Wish I Had Done More Interviews!"
Foxnews headline: "MSNBC Duped Into Palin Hoax!"

First of all, Sarah Palin is no longer a news story. Nothing she does is news anymore, and I doubt it was ever legitimate news to begin with. Second, I don't know which site should be more ashamed of themselves. CNN listed their "story" as "breaking news," which it is clearly not. The subject matter is the opinion of a former vice-presidential candidate who "wishes she had done more interviews." I wish I had played more tennis this year. Not breaking news. Fox is an interesting one. Its "story" is actually just a shot at its rival, MSNBC. Is this more like news than CNN's "story?" I can't even tell, really. The major point here is that both sites ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are lowering the standard of intelligent discourse in this country. Seriously, readers, get your news from the BBC or some international source - they typically contain actual news.

~JSK