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Jewish World Review August 30, 2005 / 25 Av, 5765 Hypocrisy over Holloway coverage By Dan Abrams
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
What is it about the Natalee Holloway story that turns generally well-intentioned and intelligent media folks into raging hypocrites? It's time for all of us to put up or shut up, so let me be clear from the outset.
We cover this story a lot. We also cover a lot of other stories. Other shows cover it more than we do, but we cover it. It is for you the viewer to decide how much of it you want. But I think some of the others are panicked that the next time they're at some elite media party, they'll be scorned by their friends for having covered the story. The latest self-loathing comes from CNN and ABC's "Good Morning America".
"It's easy and it's brainless," said CNN president Jonathan Klein in defense of sportscaster Bob Costas' refusal to fill in on "Larry King Live" when the producers wanted to cover the Holloway story.
I talked about this a bit after Anderson Cooper went after this show and others for covering the Holloway case while continuing to cover tabloid stories himself. Look, there's no question in terms of international significance or in accessing what is truly newsworthy. In the old school sense of the term, there is no way to justify covering the Aruba story.
Yet CNN makes all sorts of excuses. Well, sometimes it may be newsworthy or Larry King chooses his own topics. You can't have it both ways. What about Bob Costas, long one of my favorite sportscasters? What did he think when he agreed to fill in for Larry King for four weeks? Did he think they'd cover the healthcare debate ever?
Larry interviews old school celebrities, survivors of weird stuff, newsmakers on occasion, but often covers tabloid stories. I'm not criticizing the show. It's a successful, highly-rated interview show. King is a legend. I respect the man, but that's what they do.
Then on "Good Morning America" Thursday, correspondent Heather Cabot reported that NBC was hauled into court after obtaining video of suspect Joran van der Sloot behind bars. She turned it into a broader piece about media coverage and concluded saying, "Many media outlets including this one devoted considerable air time to this story and perhaps this latest story will help stem this feverish coverage."
It's an interesting story. Many people are fascinated. Many of us have come to feel for the Holloway family, to feel like we have a personal stake in the outcome.
Others who cover it more than we do have tried to make insincere arguments about why the case is a crucial lesson in crime solving and international justice, but come on, that's nonsense. It's a fascinating crime story.
Look, I have no problem with those who frown on the amount of coverage this story has received. I get it. But to use a metaphor, if you're wearing leather, you can't also claim to be upset that the cow has been killed.
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JWR contributor Dan Abrams anchors “The Abrams Report,” Monday through Friday from 6-7 p.m. ET on MSNBC TV. He also covers legal stories for “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,” “Today” and “Dateline NBC.” To visit his website, click here. Comment by clicking here.
© 2005, MSNBC |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
