THIS Is News?

First thing in the morning when I log into my ISP, I immediately look at the headlines on the start-up page. That gives me an idea what's going on in the world, and if something catches my interest, particularly for a blog post, I track down more information and a link I can use in the entry.

Lately I've been noticing more and more crap listed in those headlines of the day. Stuff that only someone with very very low standards could begin to classify as news. Granted, it may be considered Entertainment News, but that's not where it's listed. It's in with the important news stories of the day.

Which is how I came to learn that Britney Spears may never leave home without her Master Card, but she doesn't mind leaving her panties on the bedpost.

I also found out that Pamela Anderson is divorcing Kid Rock, and I learned that Jackie Chan got hurt making Rush Hour 3.

But today's big headline really blew me away. Never mind that dozens of people are sick from eating at a Taco Bell, and isn't this food poisoning thing becoming kind of a habit? Never mind that Robert Gates, the White House choice for Secretary of Defense, believes the US is losing the Iraqi war and that in the next year or two, if Iraq is not stabilized, this could lead to a "regional conflagration". (Does this guy have a firm grasp of the obvious or what?!) No, the big news story is that George Clooney's beloved pot bellied pig, Max, died.

No word yet whether we fly US flags at half-mast through the rest of December.

Mainstream Media is now deciding for us that what we really want to know about involves high profile movie stars or morons who through some fluke of Public Relations magic got to be household names. We need to care that Serena Williams' dog bit someone, and even more tragically that George Clooney's pet pig died.

Even though my first response is, "Who gives a shit?" I realize there are those out there who apparently do care. But that's why God created The National Enquirer... to satisfy those who live vicariously through the rumor, innuendo, and often times quite legitimate information provided to tabloid rags by Paris Hilton's hair stylist or the guy who takes care of Carmen Electra's dry cleaning. But that doesn't make any of this stuff hard news that belongs with headlines about important events going on in the world. Yet that's where Mainstream Media puts it.

They should be ashamed of themselves, and we should demand so much better.