Just as filmmaker Michael Moore and Dr. Sanjay Gupta were getting to the heart of a lively debate about universal health care last night, Larry King had to cut them off to go to his next segment featuring: some guy who hired a thug to blind a woman who later married him.
That moment crystallized what is wrong with cable news, modern media in general, and with the American people. Just as my interest was engaged and my outrage rising over the uninsured and the profit-making health system, I was suddenly confronted by a lighthearted romp into the lives of famous bumblers whose misadventures make us feel better about ourselves.
How did CNN become the "Celebrity News Network," better known for the relentless photo montages of Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton that illustrated round-the-clock coverage of their misfortunes than for asking the tough questions that might have prevented our involvement in Iraq or the countless other debacles of this administration?
Even celebrities are fed up with it. Actor Tony Danza said in a recent interview with washingtonpost.com that the line between news and entertainment has been erased. "They don't give you what you need, they give you what you want," he said.
News shows are giving us the "news" they think we WANT, rather than the news we NEED to be better informed citizens. The drive for ratings has completely twisted the journalistic values of organizations that once took pride in them.
Imagine if you ate only what you wanted and not what you needed to be healthy. For me that would mean a steady diet of dark chocolate M&Ms and Doritos. That is not a good recipe for longevity or a high quality of life. My body would suffer and my judgment would be impaired. Viewers of American television news are getting too much dessert and not enough meat and potatoes.
So yes, producers, you are right that I want celebrity news. I might be considered a celebrity news junkie, in fact. I read TMZ multiple times a day. But I also want real news and can hardly get it anymore without a candy coating. So leave that to the candy makers, like Us magazine and get back to journalism.
Over these last long six years, I have wondered where is the outrage in this country, where are the people marching in the streets? Where are people calling for impeachment?
I now think part of the problem is that we can never build a head of steam on our anger because news organizations -- the facilitators of our national dialogue -- constantly mask our problems with gossip news that crowds out the information we need. They pacify America and keep us tuned in to their stations like happy, tranquil zombies.
There was one moment in recent history when all of that celebrity news went missing. In the aftermath of 9/11 celebrities disappeared from the screen as too frivolous for the moment. We digested the ugly reality of what happened and mourned. People stepped forward to volunteer. There was outrage. There was heartbreak. We called on our leaders for justice. There was commitment.
One of the things that made life feel like it had returned just a little bit back to normal was when celebrity news resumed several weeks later. What a relief -- something to distract us from the fear and anger.
We have gone way too far now. We are too distracted by the news we WANT, and not getting enough of what we NEED to make crucial decisions about the direction of our country.
I used to go to the movies to escape from depressing news. Now if I want to delve deeply into something as important as our dysfunctional health care system, I can't find it on the news, so I have to see it in a movie.