These days I rarely watch the evening news. Last night however I was home ana the TV was unoccupied. So I switched on Channel 9: the quality of journalism is far superior than the other commercial networks.
Leading the bulletin was the tragic news that celebrated rugby player Phil Kearns accidentally ran over his youngest daughter in the drive way of their Mosman home while driving a 4WD. Following this were stories on the latest hurricane of the coast of Florida (which included four league players being trapped in an underground carpark while deluged by rising waters); the perilious state of a young Australian in Singapore who is facing the death penalty for exporting drugs; and the (quite literal) rotund shape of people in the state of New South Wales.
That, of all these important stories, the episode of Kearns' calamity should headline the news, shows the level of tabloid journalism which afflicts the commercial networks. Its not to say that what happened was not sad, however, given the other events of the day, and in some case, the many more lives destroyed in fates administered by fellow members of the human race, the case of Kearns should have been relegated to the lower ranks of the news.
This case was not limited to Channel 9, but also to the Sun Herald, and its more respected broadsheet, the Sydney Morning Herald, where the case received the same level of prominence.
What does this point to? What does this say about society and its direction? Do we seek refuge in the fame of others? Are we unable to place importance where its due? Perhaps this is the result when even the Prime Minister of the country also makes mention of the tragedy in a press conference. His actions are slightly permissable given the nature of politics.
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