Important and tragic as the developments at Ferguson are, electronic media coverage illustrate what seems to be an inherent weakness when taken to excess, its apparent inability to walk and chew gum at the same time, i.e. to drop everything and compulsively/obsessively cover one story. This is far from the first instance, although with much justification than some others (for example CNN's obsession with airplane disappearnces, Fox with Bengazi, etc.). Please note, I am NOT saying Ferguson and related events should not be covered (and analysed and explained far better). It's that there are other important world events occurring which vanish from tv news.
For example, in today's Philadelphia Inquirer alone there are (pushed to page 4, but at least still discussed):
1) U. S. airstrikes and Kurdish forces apparently retake Mosul Dam
2) In the same article a note that Pope Francis is rather hawkish on intervention against ISIL but would like a multinational response, and another observation about Iraq politics perhaps improving with Maliki's apparent departure---both items alone worthy of attention
3) Ukraine claims that rebels have killed civilians fleeing a besieged (by Ukraine) rebel held city
4) Ebola unrest in Liberia
5)Worrisome environmental report that 100,000 elephants killed in Africa in 2010-2012
(More below)
Then there's politics. Democrats aiming at NJ-3 (Jon Runyon's district) or in sports
a best new thing of the day, The Taney Dragons and Mo'ne Davis continuing their Little League efforts.
Consider that yesterday Rachl Maddow devoted well over 50 minutes to Ferguson and perhaps 2-3 minutes to the rest of the world. Instead she might have featured Ferguson in the first segment (about 20 minutes) and 5-10 minutes at the end, and so not have neglected other significant world news. Well, I'll duck now to avoid the incoming...
Btw, my laptop, after a long and lingering illness, just died, so lack of responses shoul be put down to limited availability to blogging. That is until I get a new laptop. Yes, we can build one. Newer, stronger (and for well under six million dollars).