Michael Jackson

For weeks, I have been complaining about the extensive coverage of Michael Jackson’s death. I freely acknowledge that he was the King of Pop and had a huge impact on American culture. But all of the other TV news was pre-empted for weeks. No matter how important he was, there were still wars in Iraq and Afghanistan going on, financial and economic messes to clean up, health care and climate change bills being debated in Congress, and all of that was limited to a 30-second update at the top of each hour. The coverage didn’t even talk about his impact on American culture. It was all about who is going to get the kids.

But then I read this. It makes some very good points. I still don’t think the coverage focused enough on the issues that would make the discussion relevant and important, but at least I am less ashamed to belong to the same population of TV viewers that demands 24/7 coverage of celebrities and their spectacle. Not happy about it, but maybe a little less ashamed.