Intern Gate Redux

Dominating alternative media sources today, but predictably ignored by the establishment, was the rumor of an adultery scandal involving John Kerry. The story broke on the Drudge Report with a minimum of information and the assertion that details would be forthcoming from larger news venues. A number of blogs and talk radio shows rode the story obsessively throughout the day adding the dreaded "I" word, the assertion that the affair continued until Kerry decided to run for President, and that he pressured the woman to leave the country. Given the dearth of hard journalism it is too early for conclusions about the future of the Kerry campaign or his suitability to lead the country. Conclusions must, when possible, be reached after facts are gathered and reported.

I used to listen to National Public Radio (every morning and evening) for useful serious information; I now listen to NPR infrequently for insight into the liberal world perspective. What was once a left-leaning journalistic organization, capable of breaking news stories, and providing hard analysis of current events, has in the past five years become nothing more than a radio magazine spouting politically correct multi cultural pap. NPR today does not break news and provides only biased analysis of current events. What is worse, the programming is dominated by mindless and meaningless listener essays and music reviews on so called 'progressive' and 'world' music. I rather suspect that NPR management in the past decade made a conscious decision to attract a younger listening audience. In other words, the content has been dumbed down to the lowest common denominator.

I mention NPR in the context of the Kerry rumor because driving home last night I was hopeful that "All Things Considered" would provide some context to the story. Silly of me to think that NPR would grapple with an unpleasant story that could adversely affect the Democrat frontrunner. NPR's editorial 'restraint' raises a larger question, at what point does a story making rounds in the alternative media become a story in its own right? I expect that the Drudge Report was visited by more people yesterday than read the New York Times and Washington Post combined. Is that not a story?