The Political Whore

By Mitch Perry
PoHo correspondent
Mitch Perry is the anchor of the WMNF Evening News on 88.5 FM community radio.

Legendary television anchorman Walter Cronkite’s death on Friday at the age of 92 has prompted massive encomiums on his career and how no one figure could ever dominate mass communications like “Uncle Walter” did in the ’60s and ’70s. It also allows us to ponder the state of national television news.

In the immediate days (and weeks) after Michael Jackson’s death last month, America’s broadcast and cable news networks went — predictably — hog wild over the pop superstar’s death. They saw their ratings rise, while also receiving criticism from a lot of quarters that they were overdoing it.

But were you really surprised?

Pardon the expression, but haven’t we seen this movie, err, blanket news coverage before?

Can you say Anna Nicole Smith?  Ronald Reagan? Princess Diana anybody? Read the rest of this entry »

Wow, I have to award a douchebaggery medal for all the “news media” folks involved in this round robin of bullshit. The only person who even appears mildly intelligent is the tea-bagger, even if his history lesson about Lincoln is a bit off topic…

First, the CNN kerfuffle:

Then, Shep Smith’s retort on Fox:

Our country is headed to hell in a handbasket if this is what is going to pass for journalism going forward.

CNN went all Star Wars on viewers election night with Princess Leia stand-in Jessica Yellin reporting via hologram. (Where was Admiral Ackbar??) Help us Barack Obama, you’re our only hope!

• Yes, Sarah Palin went rogue on John McCain.
• Come on Hillsborough, this is ridiculous.
• The software that screwed Hillsborough voting already screwed three other FLA counties.
• Election day was ugly for supporters of gay marriage.
• Next move in the modern civil rights battle: Lawsuits.
• It’s all over but the recounting.
• What’s up in North Carolina and Missouri?
• 4 red FLA counties gave Obama his victory.
• Youth vote turned out for Obama.
• “Why Ralph Nader is an asshole.”
• Newsweek keeps things upbeat with “horror stories” from previous presidential transitions.
• “Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress.”
• R.I.P. Michael Crichton.
• You heard the one about the woman who ran a mile with a fox chewing on her arm?

Gabe up at the front desk here at alt-central pointed this out to me this morning:

CNN.com is now selling T-shirts with its most tabloid-esque headlines on them.

Just when you think that the news biz has hit rock bottom. Of course, there will be no corporate pressure on headline-writing copy editors to come up with snappier, more tabloid headlines so that they can be monetized into T-shirts. None whatsoever.

But CNN is offering T’s for only the goofy, funny or sensational headlines, with a little T-shirt icon next to those heads (”911 dispatcher falls asleep during call,” “Mom-to-be charged with another DUI”) whereas the great meaty headlines I would want on my T-shirts aren’t featured (”Barbara Walters: I had affair with U.S. senator,” “Immigrant worker: No $$$ left for Mexico,” and the ever-popular, “Official: Two bombs at Iraqi wedding kill 35.”)

Here’s one example of the fun, witty T’s you can get:

I’m personally waiting for the “Bush: ‘Mistakes were made’” shirt.

Already, this affront to real journalism has met with criticism and spoofing, like this from the Ryan Block blog: