Journalism is dead

Many of you have heard me make the above proclamation before, so I apologize for beating a dead horse, but ...

I have been so irritated all morning because of the Today Show! Why I continue choosing to watch this rubbish every morning as I eat my cereal is probably the appropriate question, but I refuse to be confined to the stuffy suits and blonde, pancake-face clones on the Fox News channel. No offense, Dad, and I actually do like Fox News, I just don't think it's fair that this is the only network I can watch and expect to see a semblance of the truth. And I emphasize the word semblance, because let's be honest, Fox may very well just be the other side of the same evil coin.

So, anway, I turn on the Today Show this morning, and I guess they're in Ireland all week in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day. OK, a little boring, not exactly the celebrity interview I hoped for, but whatever. So a few minutes into the segment, I've zoned out and am now reading the paper when I hear what must be some kind of mistake. They're devoting a good few minutes (which is an eternity in the world of television news - yes, I did learn something in college) to Barack Obama's Irish lineage. So, once again a mainstream "news" outlet has taken something completely unrelated to Obama and spun it to involve him.

Are they serious? Is there any chance that the Today Show, or any other non-Fox news program would EVER have done such a thing were George W. Bush to have Irish ancestors, for instance? Just think about it for a second - I have watched the Today Show pretty regularly for a long time, and I don't recall ever seeing coverage of George W. Bush that in any way resembled this type of fluffly, inconsequential nonsense, and especially not when we were smack in the middle of the biggest crisis this country has seen in decades. Is it too much to ask that we receive actual NEWS from these news programs? I really don't think I can handle four years (Lord, please don't let be eight.) of watching these anchors and reporters falling all over themselves to talk about Obama any chance they get. What's next, and in-depth report on the man's shaving schedule? Love him or hate him, support him or not, but at least do your job, and don't call it news if it's not. And don't even get me started on Michelle being the latest Vogue cover girl ...

Apologies for the angry post. I'll try to share something cheerier later.