Newsbites

This is, unfortunately, going to be a very quick and short post, because I am due at my sister's apartment soon. I am to bring coffee and breakfast for both of us. This is the price we uncles pay for wanting to see our cute, new nephews. Remember that.

While I'm not generally in favor of restrictions on the media, I do think it should be illegal for any television news organization to report on a story that features a video clip shorter than three seconds-- five when played in slow-motion.

My wife and I this morning suffered through a four-minute interview piece (and two 10 second teasers) about the baby carriage falling under the train (and miraculously, no one got hurt!) and the clip was played, honest-to-God, approximately twelve to fourteen times. I wish I could say exactly how many times it was aired, but it was a little difficult to keep track. It was played while the mom was talking, because we can't possibly be asked to look at a static image of some non-airbrushed, non-celebrity talking for fifteen seconds without being shown grainy video of her running after her child's carriage twice in seven seconds. And we certainly can't listen to Matt & Meredith banter about it together after the interview's conclusion without seeing the video again.

Twice.

The long and short of it is: news organizations, if you can even call them that, should be banned from reporting these non-stories that would never have made the news in the first place if they weren't caught on video tape to begin with. If they can't use the video clips responsibly (i.e., maybe showing it once, for Christ's sake) then they shouldn't be permitted to report on them at all.

And, for the love of God-- no more cars-driving-into-peoples-houses stories either, please. And no more bungee-cord jumps gone awry, or "routine traffic stops" gone awry, no more wild animals attacking people, no more celebrity nip-slips, no more children falling down wells, no more dogs falling down wells, no more children catching baseballs and throwing them back onto the field, and no more fucking Hfucking1 Nmotherhump1.

Please.

No more.