Feeding gossip

Watching CNN Headline News is a lot like looking into a little glass ball that holds the future of cable news, and the future does not look good. Despite the usual repeated news stories, CNN Headline News also offers some of the worst programs TV news has to offer, leading the way with its primetime lineup of Glenn Beck, Nancy Grace and the uncontested leader of stupid, “Showbiz Tonight.” \nNow, Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace are bad, really bad; I mean “side-splitting migraine, questioning the point of humanity” bad. \nIt’s almost Fox News bad. \n“Showbiz Tonight” is an hour-long example of almost everything that is wrong with the world. Now, I’m not saying the show and its fellow “entertainment shows” are the cause of such horrid human events like, say, the tragedy in Darfur. But I am convinced that one reason such events are allowed to happen as easily as they do is because we are distracted by news stories like Britney Spears getting out of a car, Britney Spears going shopping and Britney Spears avoiding photographers as she tries to get out of her car and go shopping ... etc. \nYou might be saying: “Fair enough; just don’t watch entertainment news shows.” But the celebrity obsession is spilling over into other news shows, as well. These are shows that, at least in theory, are designed to give us real news. “Larry King Live” – CNN’s longest running interview program – is going to talk this week with such influential newsmakers as Jenny McCarthy and Jesse Ventura. Future guests include Judge Judy, Steve Carell and Rachael Ray. \nIt’s not just TV, either. Today, on the front page of CNN.com, listed under “Latest News” is the story titled – and I swear I am not making this up – “Paris Hilton’s latest gig: Belly Dancing”! Bill O’Reilly, a man who prides himself as a cultural warrior fighting against evil Hollywood sleaze, has on his Web site such incredible stories such as “Priscilla Presley was victim of Botox scheme,” “Demi Moore: pinhead or patriot?” and “‘Sex and the City’ star in racy photo controversy.”\nObsessive reporting on celebrities is not just useless, but its popularity also threatens how the media reports on serious political issues. The overbearing coverage of Eliot Spitzer’s unfortunate mistake coupled with the neurotic coverage of each presidential candidate’s personal life, religion, appearance, spits and spats, body language and relationships have taken away from stories about each candidate’s policies. Watch any story on cable news. Are you overwhelmed by the large amount of substantive discussions on policy? How many of us can quote what Rev. Jeremiah Wright said last week but cannot quote a single fact about any presidential candidate’s economic plan?\nThe media, especially cable news, have the difficult responsibility of attracting viewers and providing quality news reporting, but treating real news like tabloid news cannot be the answer. It is vitally important, especially during a presidential campaign, that news outlets treat us all like adults, not gossipy teenagers.