This diary is a short one, but an important one for me to write, as it hits at a basic concept that American news media fails to comprehend on a daily basis (or intentionally chooses to ignore):
Reporting "outrage" over something only seeks to perpetuate its potency. In other words, reporting on the news helps make the news.
Dear MSNBC and CNN,
Sarah Palin holds NO elected office.
She was a one time Vice Presidential Candidate, but so was Dan Quayle (and he was even an actual V.P.!), Jack Kemp, John Edwards and Geraldine Ferraro.
Sarah Palin was barely governor of Alaska, and she is now selling books and appearing on talk shows. This puts her on the level of, say, Jesse Ventura. And Jesse Ventura actually finished out his term.
Her every tweet, no matter how incendiary, stupid, ignorant or just plain laughable, is not worth repeating on every prime-time news show.
You, the program directors at CNN and MSNBC not only report on the news, you help shape the national discourse, and the more you report the rantings of a private citizen who happens to tweet a lot as if it holds deep national significance, the more you play an active role in promoting a private citizen who holds no national office into the realm of political discourse on the level of a Senator, a Congressperson or a President.
Why are you promoting the career of Sarah Palin by reporting "tweets" as newsworthy?
This goes to you liberal commentators as well. Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, etc.
The fact is this:
Even if the statement is ridiculous, placing it into a newscast places Sarah Palin into the national discourse every single time you do it.
Sarah Palin should not be in the national discourse until and unless she is actively campaigning for a political office.
Until then, she is not relevant.
I get that she's good for ratings because she says stupid shit, but then why not report the rantings of David Duke or Lyndon Larouche?
MSNBC and CNN, you are the only two news networks on the air right now. I implore you: Treat Sarah Palin with the respect she deserves: IGNORE HER.
Thank you for listening,
- WinSmith of the Daily Kos