Sicko Bumped For Psycho

Larry King Live has canceled an appearance by Michael Moore scheduled for Wednesday and replaced him with Paris Hilton in what will be her first post-jail interview. [I alluded to this briefly in my previous post but I thought it deserved a little elaboration.] This decision by King and his producers is an affirmation of their news philosophy which elevates trivialities above key debates on issues that effect all Americans.

In case it has slipped anyone’s attention, King’s network (CNN) is owned by the same parent company (Time Warner) as TMZ.com, the celebrity webloid that is hyping all things Paris. Note also that King is devoting tonight’s program to Paris as well. That’s 40% of his airtime this week (so far) dedicated to unmitigated tripe. And it’s not as if there is no other news to exploit: the release of the CIA’s “family jewels;” the Cheney expose in the Washington Post; and if they just can’t resist the need to gossip, the “pregnant mom” and her just arrested assailant is still relatively fresh.

But the Warner Bros. family is more intent on exploiting corporate synergy than informing the public or stimulating debate on important issues like health care. Look for King to make numerous citations of TMZ in both programs. It is all about cross-promotion. TMZ’s managing editor, Harvey Levin, even substituted for King last Friday, and may be doing so tonight as well. These new, more tightly integrated relationships will probably continue until there is no way to differentiate news from fluff – if we aren’t already at that point.

Update: According to King’s web site, Moore’s appearance is now scheduled for Friday. That is, unless Paris breaks a fingernail, John Edwards gets a haircut, or a trailer park resident leads police on a car chase through the mean streets of Tulsa.

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2 thoughts on “Sicko Bumped For Psycho

  1. Right on the mark. So glad to see others are at least as sickened as I am to see Paris blasted all over the news nets because the News of the 21st Century seems much more concerned about entertaining us instead of informing us on pertinent issues like GLOBAL WARMING, the IRAQ WAR, and how to get America back from those amateurs who took it over.

    If the average American is oblivious to what this means to those values we love as Americans, like FREEDOM, and that shining light on the hill, then surely the light will be dimmed and freedom will be a great idea. Democracy and freedom are an earned right from each subsequent generation. Our fathers preserved it with their blood before us, but now we seem to have lost sight of how to be a shining example to the rest of the World, we decided against the UN Charter we signed and started a preemptive WAR, or preventive WAR.

    Is this what we stand for? WAKE UP!!!

    • “If the average American is oblivious…”

      The good news is that the average American is waking up, as evidenced by recent polls. That doesn’t mean that the media or the government will start to become more responsive to our wishes, but it’s an important first step.

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