Breaking News: Snubdown at the OK Corral

Being behind the Great Fire Wall of China and unable to access certain websites and news programs can be very frustrating for a news junkie. But once in a while, it can almost be a blessing. I have access to some US television here (that Chinese citizens aren't allowed access to) and tonight I was watching some of the Chris Matthews news program. His program is billed as a serious news program but it's typical of much of what passes as serious journalism on tv in the US. A significant portion of the program tonight regarded the "issue" of whether or not Barack Obama snubbed Hillary Clinton on the floor of Congress after President Bush's State of the Union speech. For 15 minutes Matthews and three partisan talking heads debated whether Obama had his back turned to Hillary because he was a) intentionally snubbing her, b) talking to someone else, or c) simply disoriented. The spokewoman from NOW insisted it was an insult to the entire female gender. Others surmised that Teddy Kennedy and Obama were giving Hillary the "power stare". It sounded like kids gossiping on a playground. I had to turn it off before it ruined my dinner.

Plenty of Americans find this sort of "serious journalism" highly insulting to their intelligence. Jon Stewart loves to lampoon Chris Matthews and his ilk on his parody news program, The Daily Show. But the truth is that Matthews' sort of news-lite does a great disservice to the country by diverting our attention from solid issues. Sadly, the sensationalized journalism works - at least well enough to keep people like Chris Matthews and his employers in the dough.

If only more Americans realized how exceedingly ludicrous this attention to minutiae is - especially when viewed from afar.