Monkey see, monkey do

Cable TV's obsession with a missing person case in Aruba is disappointing on so many levels. It confirms the fact that Fox prime time has become pure tabloid TV with no pretense of aspiring to anything higher. But who can argue with success? Their ratings crush the competition night after night.

What is interesting is that CNN and MSNBC have decided to follow along behind fox. They also devote hundreds of hours to Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, and Natalee Holloway. If Fox has Greta von Sustren, well, then, CNN must have Nancy Grace while MSNBC settles for Dan Abrams.

Doesn't anyone want to be different? Why are they so sure that there is not an audience out there for real news? Why are they afraid to try to find it?

It is easy to understand cable's obsession with this kind of journalism. These shows are cheap to produce. All you need are a bunch of talking heads who are willing to speculate about stuff they know little about.

It's still a cowardly way to do news.