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Ear to the Ground

Enough Already

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Posted on Aug 20, 2006
JonBenet's overwhelming coverage.
Illustration by Peter Scheer

It’s one thing to report a story, it’s another to obsess over every detail at the expense of real news.  Wall-to-wall coverage of the JonBenet case continues on every major news channel, despite Israel’s violation of the cease-fire, the ruling against wiretapping, and Iran’s missile tests.

Think Progress:

Yesterday, a federal judge in Michigan issued “a sweeping rebuke of the once-secret domestic-surveillance effort the White House authorized following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” The ruling was “a significant blow to Bush’s attempts to expand presidential powers,” but you wouldn’t know that by watching last evening’s network newscasts.

All three major TV networks led their evening news with stories on JonBenet Ramsey’s death and the comments made by arrested teacher John Mark Karr. The networks offered multiple segments and numerous expert analyses to provide in-depth coverage on the legal case. The NSA decision received only a passing mention from two of the newscasts, while ABC devoted a full segment to it.

Still, ABC devoted twice as much time to Ramsey as it did to the NSA story. More egregiously, CBS offered seven times as much airtime to Ramsey as it did to the NSA story, while NBC devoted 15 times more airtime.

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By Todd, August 21, 2006 at 3:55 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The real story should be, when will the media apologize to the Ramsey family for making them out to be horrific ogres, at the same time they were going through what must be the most grievous period a parent can go through, the awful murder of their child.

The arrogance of the media is what sickens me.  Remember how they savaged Richard Jewell for Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, when in fact all he did was find the bomb and probably save a dozen lives?

Report this

By Broiler, August 21, 2006 at 2:09 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

To carlos canada,

You’re lumping a lot of people into your rant.
I don’t measure the intelligence and integrity
of an entire nation based on my opinion of say
“hockey night in Canada”.

There’s nothing wrong with entertainment per se.
There is something wrong when the line between
information and entertainment blurrs.

“To you people it’s all just entertainment.  You people laugh at how you suckered the Indians out of Manhattan for $24 of baubles and beads.”

Look, are you serious with these absurd statements?
Are you hoping someone will fight you over this?
Do you have “media” in your home country?
Could they also be charged with the same inadequacies?

And R. A. Earl,

We Americans have had to endure our president(s)
soliciting oral sex from subordinates in situations that
could have and possibly did compromise our national security.
So, “SEXUAL ADOLESCENCE” can at times be news worthy,
I’m sorry to say. How are things in your country?

Face it, people with the time, money and inclination
to change things outside of their personal bubble
are few and far between. It doesn’t matter what
country they live in.

Why don’t Americans react with outrage
at the information offered by the news media?
A valid question but deserving of a less belligerent, generalist answer.

Report this

By carlos canada, August 21, 2006 at 7:55 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The American news media is an insult to people everywhere who claim a desire to be informed.  Those Americans who make that claim should be properly embarrassed ... that so many don’t seem to be, just feeds the worlds diminishing respect for everyday Americans.  The rest of the world is anxiously waiting on “the people” to get “mad as hell, and stop taking this shit”!  Personally, I don’t think it’s ever going to happen.  You’ll put that off for the next election (which you’ll be cheated on).  Then ther’ll be the next crisis, and then the next scandal and pretty soon it’ll be time for the Super Bowl ... and on and on it goes.  To you people it’s all just entertainment.  You people laugh at how you suckered the Indians out of Manhattan for $24 of baubles and beads.  So what does it say when a nation of well educated, supposedly sophisticated people sell their SOULS for another glimpse of neon pizzazz and razzmatazz?

Report this

By Broiler, August 21, 2006 at 6:06 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

No shit! Tell us something we don’t know.
It’s shmooze not news. Most of the visitors
to this site have a brain. This is “preaching
to the choir”. We know the “emperor has no freaking clothes”.
Move on!

Report this

By R. A. Earl, August 21, 2006 at 5:54 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Depressing, ain’t it. I wonder why so many Americans seem badly stuck in some sort of MASS SEXUAL ADOLESCENCE?

Absolutely ANYTHING even vaguely related to human sexuality grabs hold of their attention like an electromagnet locks onto pigiron.

So of course, the media moguls, made of the same stuff, in true American fashion find a way to make a buck. “Give the people what they want” is the mindless irresponsible philosophy that underwrites American commerce. As with the ubiquitous American junk food it doesn’t matter a whit to the purveyors that what they’re selling has little or no value to the “CONSUMER.”

In American culture, the only failure recognized with any degree of disgrace attached to it is the failure to MAKE MONEY.

Report this

By Paul Kelly, August 21, 2006 at 4:52 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

As if not having a distracting news story would make any difference.  During Israeli’s invasion and destruction of Lebanon and its people, there were no such news distractions.  Where was the rage then?  And the ongoing, day-to-day killing in Iraq.  Where’s the ongoing rage?  Where’s the outpouring of “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” And what more do we need to see and “feel” to push us over, to demand change?  We as a people are allowing this to happen.  Our distraction is self-inflected.

Report this

By TomChicago, August 21, 2006 at 3:48 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Since I don’t fly business class, I don’t know, but isn’t the offer of champagne part of that package? In other words, routine?

Report this

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