ML: Tuning Out Jackson Death Coverage

Marianne Love: The sin lies not in the fact that the Spokesman-Review chose to run both stories on the front page. I believe that the sin lies in the nonstop coverage that will likely occur on cable news stations for the next several days. People like me have learned to find other things to do for a few days besides watch TV within hours of when these events occur. Yes, I stood transfixed to the television coverage for a while yesterday because I was shocked like the rest of the world. I believe both celebrities left a mark on their millions of fans and deserved headline coverage. Once the first regurgitations of facts and speculation began, however, I got on my bicycle and went for a ride. Full comment below . Rest of terrific thread here .

Question: In big media events, like the death of Michael Jackson, how much can you take before you tune out?

The sin lies not in the fact that the Spokesman-Review chose to run both stories on the front page. I believe that the sin lies in the nonstop coverage that will likely occur on cable news stations for the next several days.

People like me have learned to find other things to do for a few days besides watch TV within hours of when these events occur.

Yes, I stood transfixed to the television coverage for a while yesterday because I was shocked like the rest of the world. I believe both celebrities left a mark on their millions of fans and deserved headline coverage.

Once the first regurgitations of facts and speculation began, however, I got on my bicycle and went for a ride. I knew that I could switch on the TV at any given time and learn the same information I’d already heard.

We all have become privy to the 24-hour coverage after several similar experiences in the past (probably beginning with the OJ chase back in the early ‘90s), and we know we’re going to see the story recycled in every angle known to man.

As far as the Spokesman choosing to run both stories on the front page, I think it was a wise move. Yesterday was a news day filled with irony because of two high-profile celebrities with huge followings dying within hours of each other.

I’m betting that if Farah Fawcett had been the only death yesterday, her story may have gone on an inside page. Hours later, however, when Michael Jackson died unexpectedly, a different dynamic in news occurred–two in one day, both commanding attention from two generations of fans