Dan Rather decries media coverage of the royal wedding
By Jessica GentileApril 29th, 2011, 9:00 amComments (7)
Fact: I'm a sucker for rants made by old, curmudgeon-y newsmen, even if whatever it is they're complaining about barely makes a lick of sense. (Remember that time Andy Rooney went grocery shopping and complained about the myriad of fresh produce options? It made my heart swell.) Anyway, sometimes these guys actually have legit complaints, and when they do we should all listen up. Case in point: Dan Rather and his beef with the American media's over-zealous royal-wedding coverage.
In a column he wrote for the Huffington Post, Rather expresses outrage over the vast media resources being spent to cover what is really nothing more than an ultra-extravagant display of pomp and ceremony:
Remember those who have the least amongst us, struggling after more than a year of unemployment, a long commute they can no longer afford, or the diagnosis of a medical condition that could kill them and bankrupt their family. The networks couldn't ignore the devastating storms that killed hundreds in the South, but you had the odd juxtaposition of that news being delivered by anchors sitting in front of Buckingham Palace...
It is a legitimate news story, a big event for one of America's most stalwart allies... What bothers me is the hypocrisy. The idea that we can't afford to throw resources at an important foreign story, but can afford to spend this kind of money on a story like the royal wedding is just plain wrong. The idea that we can't break into regularly-scheduled programming for an address by the president is wrong as well. When the topic was the "Birther Story" (better referred from here on out by the first letters of those two words), the networks jumped right in.
He's got a pretty good point. Though to be fair I am also a sucker for ridiculous-looking hats, so it's nice to see hours of my morning television programming being devoted to their opulent display.
Commentarium (7 Comments)
I agree. This royal wedding stuff is ridiculous, particularly if you are an American. One of our founding principles is the rejection of monarchy — however, as Terry Pratchett has pointed out, the human race has an inherent desire to bend at the knee.
I'm with Moops (and as far as Pratchett goes, I fall into the Sam Vimes school of thought regarding hereditary rulers).
The British are our allies, and we do have a vibrant cultural exchange with them (mostly based on passing Hugh Laurie back and forth) but we don't need any royalty, thanks, our informal class system is counterproductive enough.
What he's really complaining about is human nature, and as a veteran newsman, he should know better. The networks aren't throwing away resources on a royal wedding. They're investing in a "news" story that will generate tens of millions in ad revenue. The networks did it when Charlie Sheen went on his rants; the networks did it when OJ went on trial; the networks did it when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped. The networks don't throw away resources on this stuff because they're a bunch of catty gossip mongers...they do it because we watch it. People love gossipy shit. Always have, always will.
Agreed. You can't sell advertising by showing mass unemployment, decaying infrastructure, despoiled environment, government debt, etc.
I find it pretty amusing that I've seen more things either decrying or satirising the royal marriage than I have serious coverage of it. If people don't want to hear about it, stop talking about it.
I'm a brit myself, and actually quite fond and proud of our traditions, the monarchy included, so I haven't been bothered by the positive coverage. The negative mentions are just vaguely annoying and insulting, but not enough to really make a point about.
The only thing that really bugs me about the whole thing is that I'm visiting my canadian girlfriend right now, and wasn't awake early enough to see the wedding live, because I do actually care.
Insulting? If Britain was a physical body, the monarchy would be a cancer, and you're insulted by negative shots at it? That local brainwashing you've endured has worked it's malignant wonders well. I'm not British, but I am a member of a Commonwealth country, old enough to have grown up with my share of brainwashing regarding the 'Royal Dept.', and I celebrate every bit of negative coverage these lizard faces get. Their days & archaic ways in the sun are numbered.
Local brainwashing is just another term for culture. Everywhere indoctrinates it's people in the ways of the country. The only way to really avoid that is to dump your children into the wild and hope they survive. It is just the way society works. Don't like it? Then don't be a part of society.
Now you say something