CNN

The first post of this blog should be more insightful, but CNN just annoys me so much that it jumped to the head of the queue. As I am writing the front page of their website has a large picture of Paris Hilton to give us the crucial news that "she has never used drugs, isn't a big drinker ". This is their lead story, after winning a frantic bidding war to get the exclusive first post jail interview. She had however many hours of screen time through series upon series of "The Simple Life" and had nothing to say, so I'm not sure that a week or two of solitary reflection will have given her any more wisdom.
But frankly, Larry King's, no doubt tedious, interview with everyone's favorite vacuous heiress, is, I'm sure, the best thing that's been on CNN in weeks. I can't say for certain. I haven't done my research. I can't bring myself to watch it. It is however pervasive. I see it all over the place, so I know enough of what I write. I know that they report everything as a major breaking news scoop. I know that they never really report the real story, just the reaction to the story. Political legislation is framed as a sporting play, as they dissect the statistics to show which team is in the lead. They never really tell you what the legislation will do for simple old curmudgeons like me. Everything is a situation. Everything is a fight. Everything is oh so crucial, and yet I'm never sure why, because the long term human repercussions of the news are never really shown.
Subconsciously I still expect better from CNN. I expect to be gripped by the drama of all the important developments of the day. I expect to actually learn something. Then my conscious mind kicks in to remind me that all I'll get is a man called Wolf shouting next to a big TV screen drivelling on and on about something that excites him very much, but is of no consequence.

An aside:
According to CNN's website, Paris had a pithy Hallmark moment in her interview, when she said "Don't serve the time; let the time serve you," . Substitute any word for "the time" in that sentence, and I'm sure it also applies for her.