The media feeding feast that is the Anna Nicole Smith death is a disgrace in so many ways. While many others have weighed in on the various image and reputation aspects of the tabloid sleazefest, the more troubling trend is mainstream’s media absolute love affair with the central story and its juicy paternity sidebar. Whether it’s the Today Show, CNN, USA Today or the Associated Press, our leading media sources are going 24 x 7 in an all-out sprint to out-scoop one another and uncover the latest rumor or innuendo.
So, what must the rest of the world think of this nonsense? Does this sad and sordid saga not
reinforce what most already think: namely, that we’re self-absorbed, decadent as hell and interested only in the superficial, the sensational and the salacious? Does it not reinforce radical Islam’s views of America as being the "great whore" as I’ve heard us described on more than one occasion?
While I’m not positive what the rest of the world actually thinks, I do believe the Anna Nicole Smith story is just the latest pit stop on our country’s long moral and ethical road trip to image and reputation hell.
Frontline is doing a 4-party series on this topic: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/13/DDGRFO28SJ1.DTL
According to the LA Times, Internet traffic/searches and the like are having more of an impact on what stories float to the top of coverage.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-rutten10feb10,1,704966.column
Great Blog! Your right on the money about Anna. I can’t believe how much i know about this woman, and i don’t read “gossip magazines”. Lincoln is a good quote-but this one is more fitting. John Ford once had a character (A reporter naturally) say “When the legend exceeds the truth…print the legend”. I got that froma great book that i also want to recommend to you. SWAP by Sam Moffie.
“The latest pit stop on our country’s long moral and ethical road trip to image and reputation hell”? That’s a tad harsh, Rep. We are well down that road and, so far, the republic shows every sign of enduring.
It’s the American media whose reputation continues to decline for devoting so much air, ink and time to this nonsense. They are no longer in the business of serving the public interest, and this is what the average Joe and Jane want to see, hear and read. Thinking about the meaning of the Islamist threat or the federal budget deficit or environmental degradation is too hard for most people. Instead, they would rather sit back and absorb this mind candy. The media understand that it is profitable to play down to this level of intelligence.
As we remember Abraham Lincoln today on the anniversary of his birth, we must acknowledge that he was wrong. You CAN fool most of the people most of the time.