Unjournalism

American Idol and your local Fox affiliate

Posted on January 25th, 2007 by Mike Keliher

Watching local news is depressing enough on its own. Watching local news on a Fox affiliate during American Idol season is even worse.

Here in the Twin Cities, our local Fox news broadcasts are pitiful on their best day (they once ran a story around July 4th informing viewers that fireworks pose a fire hazard – seriously). But when American Idol is a-runnin’, Simon and company seem to bring out the pitiful-est in Fox. Obviously there’s a corporate-ownership connection, but that’s no excuse for two or three minutes of a 30-minute newscast (probably about 23 when you throw in commercials) being devoted to discussion of the blog chatter about American Idol on the Fox affiliate’s own Web site.

First of all, how sad is it that the station hosts its own local American Idol blog? Second, why shouldn’t I kill myself after hearing reporters and anchors pander to Simon Cowell and Rupert Murdoch and then blatantly editorialize about the terrible singers?

I actually enjoy watching American Idol. It’s fun watching people embarass the hell out of themselves. But I’m still holding on to the vague recollections I have of the days when the news was, you know…newsy. The inane banter between anchors has been there as long as I can remember, but at least it was never about a damn reality-TV show.

</rant>