The News

I've come to the realization that my bugaboo is the press. I think it's a good bugaboo to have, though, because it is critically important to the functioning of a democracy, and our press is falling to pieces on multiple fronts.

First, they are entirely unable to reign in their bias. In fact it seems to be getting worse. This last election was a rapid acceleration of the press' plunge into untrustworthiness.

Second, when they're not being biased, they're wasting your time. I assume you're aware of this case with the little girl named Caylee who was, presumably, killed by her own mother. It's a tragic case, but you know what? It has nothing to do with me. It is not news. News is something that is of importance to you on some level. This story is not of any importance to me, period. I don't know these people, I don't live in their town, I don't live within 2,000 miles of them. Whatever happens here has no bearing on me, at all, so it is not news. This story's newsworthiness is limited at best to the city that they live in. Probably not even that.

But it is national story. That doesn't sound right, does it? But I can't call it news. So maybe we need a new word. This is national storypulp. There, that's better. That's my word for "news" that is not fit to be called news.

I could call it entertainment, but it's not entertaining at all, it's a God damned tragedy. So here, I need yet a new word, which brings me to my point. What do you call a story like this, that is not news and is not entertainment?

This is the dissemination of tragedy to people to fulfill some sick inner desire to share in the misery of people that are otherwise of no importance or meaning to us. It has no socially redeeming value. No benefit is made when people are attracted, for whatever sad and pathetic reason, to follow this story. It is porn without the sex, but with the tragedy. What do you call that? How about:

Tragedy Porn.