Tabloid Free News

I listened to Laura Ingraham and Major Garrett yesterday discussing the tabloid nature of the news media. I think Ms. Ingraham has a great idea for having “tabloid-free news”.

I have been noting for some months the frequency that Roger Friedman puts Michael Jackson’s picture on the website (it’s there again today). The current noise over Brittney this, or Paris that. It’s driving me insane.

The other day I was snowed in, so I decided to spend some quality time with FoxNews. I was watching John Gibson’s show and had to quickly change channels (there were little kids around) when John decided to probe the human ‘interest’ story of a teacher posing nude for Playboy.

Yesterday I visited FoxNews.com during the day to keep in touch with the world. I noticed quickly that the red News Alert banner was active. I wondered what earth-shattering events were taking place. Another terrorist attack? Bin Laden captured? The death of a president? Nope. The news flash was that I could right then and there watch live streaming video of yet another Anna Nichole Smith trial in progress.

I would rather watch streaming video of my grass growing.

Enough is enough.

I am through with the O’Reilly Factor. I’m through with Studio B, and I’m through with The Big Story. I am just about through with FoxNews.com as well. As soon as I figure out which RSS feeds will fill the gap, Foxnews will be off my Favorites list for good (or at least until they clean up their act.)

This is a lot like that DirecTV commercial where the mom has a “sit-down” with fictional Mafioso characters: I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to block you.