There has been no shortage of horrific reporting and bad news coverage since the advent of television, especially since the beginning of the Cable News Networks.
But the coverage of the Terri Schiavo Death Watch trumps everything they’ve ever done before.
The misery and suffering of Terri Schiavo’s families, is nothing short of the worst kind of voyeurism. Every newscast is led-off with the condition of Terri Schiavo, as if her condition has changed significantly in 15 years.
The people interviewed are people who have no opinions of merit, like the Monk who keeps talking about how Terri Schiavo feels, as if he really knows.
We see the sick crowd of Schiavo “supporters” who want to keep Terri Schiavo alive no matter what her condition is. And we hear from all the experts who have never professionally diagnosed Terri Schiavo’s condition let alone met her.
We are fed a constant menu of religious opinions telling us why Terri Schiavo should live or die.
And we are bombarded with conspiracy theories about Michael Schiavo, who in the eyes of many is her loyal friend doing what she would want to have done, and to others a murderer who wants her out of the way.
What we are seeing every few minutes of every hour of every day, every day of the week, is the same train wreck that happened more than a dozen years ago as if it is happening now.
We are told by CNN and FOX: “BREAKING NEWS ON THE SCHIAVO STORY” when in fact there is no breaking news at all.
We heard Terri Schiavo’s father tell the media that his vegetative daughter was happy to know that Congress has taken up her case, and that she would be going home for breakfast in the morning, even though Terri Schiavo hasn’t demonstrably responded to anything in 15 years.
Terri Schiavo’s father proclaimed that his daughter actually screamed at him not to let her die when the last appeal to the Supreme Court failed. And this became a news story as if it was really true.
It galls me when the “speaking heads” at the Cable News Networks refer to Terri Schiavo by her first name, as if they were somehow her friends and intimates.
This whole sorry experience has eclipsed the real stories the world should know about.
We no longer hear about the nuclearization of Iran, the nukes of North Korea, the pending civil war in Lebanon, the insurgency in Iraq, the cost of petroleum, the threat of China against Taiwan, and ALL the other REAL STORIES that matter.
We are on a steady Terri Schiavo Vigil.
We were interrupted for a moment by the Atlanta Court Room Murders. For a brief moment again with the Robert Blake trail. And every now and then it’s about Michael Jackson. But that’s it.
It’s otherwise all about a battle between two decent families over a woman who has been in a 15 year vegetative state.
Pretty soon the only thing left for the so-called news media to do, will be to hold a lottery on when Terri Schiavo will be declared legally dead.
Then they can start interviewing the religious leaders and the doctors on what is the real definition on death, and when does it occur.
Once Terri Schiavo dies, the media will truly launch on Michael Jackson with a vengeance, just the way they did with Scott Peterson, as if his case is also more important than everything else that is happening in the world.
And for Terri Schiavo’s families: the media will leave them like a cheap whore leaves her trick after she’s been paid and the deed was done.
Maybe this story isn’t really about Terri Schiavo, her families, the doctors, the religious nut-jobs, the right to die, the right to live, the laws or the US government. Maybe it’s about the how horrible and unworthy the news media has become.
One Comment
Hi Howard, just as always…if not physically…always there in spirit…afraid my old girl is showing signs of her old age and probably not upto long rides like that anymore…working for a paycheque to paycheque existence like most others so trading her in for an new model is out of the question for now by keeping my hope it will happen somehow because there is no adventure or experience like trekking it down the highway on the freedom of a bike and never knowing what’s coming your way!
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