Here's a great piece from former CJ TV writer Howard Rosenberg. It's Keith vs. Bill every night on cable. Is it news? Is it entertainment? Maybe it's infotainment or just noise?
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-comment7-2008jun07,0,6590521.story

Also, Dan Rather blasts corporate news in a speech this weekend.
http://www.freepress.net/node/41347

Sour grapes? Maybe, but Dan has a point when he talks about the mergers, the cut backs and the push for every last dollar. It's an interesting read if you can get past the politics.

We're all ratings driven. That model has worked well for the most part, but what happens when the really important news isn't sexy? The cable landscape is all about meaningless arguments and the lifestyles of the rich and famous. If a story is boring, it's likely that it won't be told, no matter how important. If there's no video or hint of scandal, chances are we won't see the story.

Acia Johnson's story is incredible!. She lived in a world of crack, domestic abuse, violence and repeated social service investigations. Although her family life was a train wreck, she somehow managed to thrive. She was 14, an A student, a good athlete, and the primary care giver for her 3 year old sister.

Police say that Acia and her sister died when her mother's lover, drunk and enraged, torched their home after an intense fight on the morning of April 6th.

How could this senseless tragedy have been avoided? Is there no effective safety net for children like Acia? Did she and her little sister ever really have a chance? It breaks my heart to think about how many kids are living similar lives.

Congratulations to Boston Globe reporters Kieth O'Brien and Donovan Slatt for a great job of reporting. They give real insight in to Acia and the challenges she faced. This story will stay with you.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/06/01/a_girls_life/

Plenty of topics on the table this morning. It's all but over. Or not? With a decision made about Florida and Michigan, it looks like the Democratic nomination belongs to Obama. Can he win? Some questions about race won't go away and we'll talk about them this morning.

Also, we'll get your thoughts about the report on last year's accident at Kentucky Kingdom. Will you send your kids this summer?

Talk show host are going crazy about Scott McClellan's new book. Disloyal? Absolutely, but there's the more important question of substance.

Finally, here's an interesting read for people concerned about media and it's future. I don't think the New York Times or the major network news divisions are going away any time soon, but consider this.
http://www.slate.com/id/2192382/pagenum/all/#page_start

The newspaper business appears to be in the tank. The Washington Post lost $77000000 in print advertising last year, and made up only $6000000 with on line ads. And the large broadcast companies continue to slash personnel and programming as revenue declines.

Cataclysmic change is in progress for many of your favorite media sources. I'll write more about this later.