DIRTY LAUNDRY

Do you remember the old Don Henley song, "Dirty Laundry?" It had the line "She can tell you about the plane crash, with a gleam in her eye." I am reminded of this as I watch the young good looking anchors on CNN and their sister station Headline News. News really has become entertainment. Gone are the days of unbiased news reporting. Gone are the older, fatherly newsmen such as Walter Cronkite or even Tom Brokaw. Now I enjoy a good looking newscaster as much as the next person, but it seems the news is often overshadowed by the young overreacting newscaster giving you their opinion of the story with a simple rolling of the eyes or cute little sidelook into the camera. I especially like the promo's for the HLN's morning anchor as she glances at you from every angle and then strikes a cute little pose while the music plays "you get me excited...every morning with you!" Is this news they are promoting?

This is not the news...it the editorial page. The story seems to come second to how it is presented to you. Whether it be editing the story to fit whatever opinion the media outlet has or just a simple facial expression of the host. I especially like it when the newscasters act annoyed that a story is picking up so much publicity when they themselve are the ones promoting it. The "Ballon Boy" story or perhaps the non-ending Jon & Kate saga comes to mind. Bring on more Bob Losher or Bob Scheafer at CBS...they may not be sexy or flirt with the weatherman, sportscaster or entertainment person...but you feel like it is actual news and not evesdropping on the flirtations of youth.