Your RDA of Irony

Breaking the News

NBC extended the life of Benazir Bhutto by one hour this morning. While the other channels were reporting the Pakistani leader’s assassination, the Today Show did not want to disrupt its holiday theme. ABC’s Good Morning America could delay an interview with a veterinarian and his pet pug to report on Bhutto’s murder and its calamitous implications. BUT NBC’s audience saw Ann Curry’s interview with an “inspirational” basketball coach, followed by her visit with a chef and then a profound discussion with Willard Scott about “being home for the holidays.”

Really, the Today Show could have shown a little journalistic responsibility, and tried integrating the news into the show. For instance, Willard Scott could have announced, “And guess who now won’t be 100 years young!” Perhaps Ann Curry could have asked the guest chef, “Do you know any Moslem funeral dishes?”

Finally, at 9 a.m. Central Time, NBC decided that Benazir Bhutto’s current health was worth mentioning. Her death was one of three reported stories, the other two being a tiger attack in San Francisco and “a miracle rescue” of an 12 year-old American girl in Panama.

NBC should change its logo from a peacock to a dodo.

  1. Lee David says:

    The local CBS affliate reported her death around 7:30 AM CST but the national network update still had her alive a few minutes later, how is the news desk in Nashville is more plugged in than The EYE?

  2. Oliver Stone would cite that as proof of the alliance between the Taliban and your local NRA.

    I am waiting for the “news” to find some link with Britney Spears. Was Benazir Bhutto pregnant with Kevin Federline’s baby?

  3. SwanShadow says:

    I’m confused…

    Benazir Bhutto was attacked while eating curry in San Francisco by a 12-year-old tiger named Panama?

    Or was that Willard Scott?

  4. SwanShadow has discovered the secret of today’s television news.

    If you eliminate punctuation, there is more time for commercials.

  5. Tonight Larry King will discuss Benazir Bhutto with Phyllis Diller, Esther Williams, Van Johnson and the granddaughter of Buster Keaton’s cook.

    (And Larry’s questions will be more interesting and more relevant than anything Wolf Blitzer will ask!)

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