news-record.com

Over Michael Jackson

I admit that I'm over Michael Jackson. Already.

I switch the station when the tributes come on, and that means a lot of switching. My habit of watching the morning news programs has been momentarily adjusted. It's SportsCenter for the next several days.

Maybe it is because I'm in the news business and process stories like this quickly because I'm immersed in them. Maybe it is because he was years away from the music that made him popular. Maybe it's the shortened attention span that you read about. But I'm done with the stories about his greatness, his impact and how he lived and died. 

I don't think I'm alone, either. I think this is an example of one of the great disconnects between national television and the rest of us. They obsess over stories long past the time in which the bulk of their audience is interested. 

We are guilty of this, too. Whenever we track a story over a period of time, I hear from people who tell us to move on. We're getting it now with the stories about high school recruiting and the Northern Loop. While I don't think those stories are over -- things are still happening and decisions are being made -- some people are over them. So, I'm sensitive to the issue of timing. 

Don't get me wrong. We'll still track the Jackson news. I know that some of our readers are intensely interested in it. We're even preparing a poster page. But we're not going all Michael, all the time. I haven't heard that our readers want us to. Besides, instead of covering the Jackson story, we can write about the second swine flu death and the worsening unemployment rate, neither of which will make national news and both of which have great impact locally.

Update: This cartoon presents a fun perspective if you appreciate sardonic humor.