Pointed/Accurate criticism of Enquirer
The Enquirer published a letter to the editor that echoes my feelings about our local daily and the media as a whole:
I wish Steve Aust (who wrote the letter) was just pointing out another instance of the Enquirer getting things wrong or out of order, but this is a phenomenon of our culture, a sign of how dead our media really is and how disengaged people have become.
People feel so powerless that they no longer want to hear about things they can not change, whether it be illegal investigations or the corruption that runs rampant amongst our politicians. Instead they would rather hear about American Idol, a contest where they feel their vote actually counts.
Palmer, 'Idol' didn't belong on front page
I'm writing to complain about the misguided priorities The Enquirer used in creating the front-page on May 24 ("Palmer can dish out hits, too"). An article about Carson Palmer's rehab is fine for the Sports section, and a piece about the "American Idol" finale is OK for the Life section, but they have no business on the front page. I think it's a disgrace that a piece about the Justice Department's unconstitutional search of congressional offices was relegated to an inside page, along with other truly relevant events. That is news.
I'm sure the editors would rationalize that as giving people what they want. If a young child wants to gorge himself on sweets, do you indulge them? It's incumbent upon "the fourth estate" to emphasize information people need, not the lowest-common-denominator drivel that pop culture entertainment force-feeds us.
I wish Steve Aust (who wrote the letter) was just pointing out another instance of the Enquirer getting things wrong or out of order, but this is a phenomenon of our culture, a sign of how dead our media really is and how disengaged people have become.
People feel so powerless that they no longer want to hear about things they can not change, whether it be illegal investigations or the corruption that runs rampant amongst our politicians. Instead they would rather hear about American Idol, a contest where they feel their vote actually counts.
