I don't care about the Pope (NOT an anti-Catholic rant)

[Modem Butterfly]

Geez-um crow. I sure hope the Pope enjoys better health and a long life, as I hope for just about every human being. And I sure hope that, when he dies, it's an easy death and doesn't cause too much chaos and trouble for the Catholics. But I am sick and tired of the news story. Tell me when he's better, tell me when he's sick, tell me when he's dead, but please, spare me the details of every little BM, blink, and breath the man takes. Give him some privacy and give me some real news for a change!

[mattclearing]

1. Agreed.

Another fantastic excess of the 24-hour news cycle.

[Ironpost]

2. Him privacy, you real news, never happen. n/t

[candy]

3. I'm with you and I am a Catholic(sort of)------------

The astonishing news that the Pope ate breakfast is a "turn off the TV' signal for me.

[Sparkle]

4. If you're watching it on cable, those are time fillers.

They are on 24/7, so they need to fill all of that dead time with something. That is why I rarely watch cable channels.

[progressoid]

12. If you take out the filler and the commercials...there's nothing left!!

[candy]

5. I loooove your username---very clever! n/t

[Modem Butterfly]

7. Thanks!

My partner came up with it. He's the clever one.

[candy]

6. Duplicate-sorry!

[cheezus]

8. The health/possible death of an important world leader IS news

as opposed to the trial of a washed up pop star

[Modem Butterfly]

11. It's not so much the health angle

It's the agonizing, detailed non-stories about how the Pope waved from his window or is communicating by sign language. It's the semi-hourly updates on how he's doing fine. Give it a rest, people!

[Bridget Burke]

9. So--you think all the other news stories are AOK?

You'd rather more time be devoted to the Michael Jackson trial? Waiting for the next murder case that stuns the country?

Would you prefer more time explaining how wonderful Bush's SS privitization will be? Or how Condy deserves the Nobel Prize? (No shit--that's been mentioned.)

The Pope's condition is not the only thing keeping "real news" off TV. I hate to tell you--but his death & the election of his successor will get even more airtime.

Even without this story, "real news" is pretty scarce nowadays.

[Modem Butterfly]

10. Did I say that?

No, I didn't.

The Michael Jackson trial coverage is also inane. And murder cases are news, though I can certainly deal without the blow-by-blow coverage a la the Laci Peterson trial.

I'd like to know what's actually going on in the world, not just in the US. You know, there's other countries that have things going on, too.

[Padraig18]

13. In fairness, The Vatican is trying to keep it low-key.

That's why they only issue a press release once a day, barring a major turn for the worse. Unfortunately, the MSM is who won't 'give it a rest'.

[Cocoa]

14. I don't care about any news involving the Church

I'm not anti-Catholic either, but I just don't care.

[scottty]

15. Turn the page

or turn off the television when a story about the pope comes on. He is a world leader, whether you like it or not. They would be giving the same press to any other world leader. Once again, turn the TV off or change the channel if you don't like it because the last time I heard, you were free to watch or read whatever you wanted.

[Modem Butterfly]

16. Oh, gee, that hadn't occured to me

Since, you know, only one newspaper, radio station, and channel are covering this story.

:eyes:

[scottty]

17. Then turn the TV and read a good book,

that's what I do.

[Ariana Celeste]

18. I agree with your point-

I checked MSNBC earlier, and Jackson is what got the big picture on the main page- while there was merely a small link for the latest "suicide bomber". Farther down, a small link for the Lebanese Govt. collapsing.

Why the hell do we need a big picture of Michael plastered on the main page of MSNBC when there are REAL stories being reported on?

Yeesh.


On edit: Lebanese govt not overthrown, had the wrong words in my head as I typed and didnt check before hitting enter. :)

[Modem Butterfly]

19. The Jackson trial is our next OJ, I'm afraid

Get your barf bags ready now, it's going to be a long, frivolous spring.

[Ariana Celeste]

20. Awesome!

Because all of us really care, right? :)

Jeebus. Our media is horrible.

[AngryOldDem]

23. The only difference is, no cameras in the courtroom

Instead, we'll have Larry King, Anderson Cooper, Nancy Grace, Dan Abrams, the Court TV expert du jour, every legal analyst from here to Mars, William Kennedy Smith's attorney, OJ's prosectors, and my next door neighbor on all the cable channels, rehashing the day's events until we all want to take a bat to our screens.

This, if anything, points out the redundancy of cable news anymore. What is news, and what is entertainment?

By the way, I agree with your initial assessment of the news stories about the Pope. If he's still alive, let him be. Otherwise, he's not news. Not when Lebanon, Iran, and other world events are breaking.

[mwb970]

21. I care about him because I see how much others do.

And, even when this story is over, there still won't be any "real news". Ever hear of a guy named Michael Jackson?

[Modem Butterfly]

22. It's not about the Pope, the man, but rather the Pope, the story

I hope he gets better. When he dies, I hope he goes easy and I hope the church doesn't have much trouble picking a successor. But I'm sick of the non-stories about him.

[Bridget Burke]

24. So--why was this the story that prompted you to start a thread?

Generally, CNN, etc., cover the news disproportionately. Certain stories are judged to have entertainment value; others are just "too dull." Often, the "other" stories are things that Bush & Co. might prefer kept quiet. This has been going on a long time.

I watch a bit of CBS, CNN International & NWI. And the BBC as shown on bbcamerica. I also read the newspaper & check out online sources. Nobody can rely on one source for all the news they need.

The Pope is a head of state (Vatican City) & the head of a religion with millions of believers worldwide. It's a legitimate story; if you don't like it, go to the kitchen for a glass of water.

[Modem Butterfly]

25. The Pope being ill is a legit story - the Pope coming to his window isn't

Non-story after non-story after non-story about the Pope's illness and surgery. It's reminiscent of Marsha Clark's haircuts and all the speculation about what the Akita might have heard. It's all just bullshit and filler. No new information, no changes, just more time and energy covering the same ground that's been covered before, ad nauseum. It's like they're in some kind of sick race to see who'll break the news of his death first, meanwhile, the rest of us are in a Pope-enforced media blackout. How frustrating.