A juror in the Scooter Libby perjury case has been dismissed, and a mistrial was narrowly avoided, when it was discovered that the juror had watched media coverage of the trial or some aspect of it. By declaring that the juror’s capacity to pass judgement was irrepairably harmed as a consequence of her viewing the coverage, the court has recognized one of society’s most virulent risks: exposure to media is a corrupting influence.

What I’d like to know is, if simple exposure to the media results in cognitive loss sufficient to forfeit jury service, what’s it doing to the rest of us who are receiving massive doses of it every waking hour of the day? How is that exposure influencing our ability to make the many judgments to which we are routinely confronted?

Ow, my brain hurts.