May 17: CABLE NEWS AS THEATRE
Today was definitely a "headache" day. Not because of fatigue or illness, but because this critic watched Cable News for eight straight hours. A lot of Breaking News was currently exploding: The Trade War with China; a possible war with Iran; Alabama's law against abortion; the death of architect I.M. Pei at age 102. Of course, provocative and/or upsetting news explodes every day, it seems. But Friday, May 17 was different. This was the day yours truly realized that the events which stood out and seemed especially important were all about death, including figurative as well as literal ones. It reminds us of the policy that broadcast news always followed even before Cable News: "If it bleeds, it leads." The news today was no doubt sensational, each in its own way, with salient consequences. And on Cable News, at least, its presentation was "over the top," delivered by hosts, reporters and pundits in often exaggerated, passionate ways. Th