America has troops in Iraq
America has troops in Afghanistan
Turkey has troops in Iraq
The US economy is in bad shape
Poverty is still a huge problem in the US
Katrina victims are still struggling

Granted, they are letting us know about the earthquake that just struck off of Sumatra, but they’re also reporting that:

The US Mil is "pretty sure" they shot down that dead spy satellite with the toxic fuel aboard. I’m "pretty sure" I’m relieved knowing that!

Clinton and Obama are arguing about trade–well that’s… different.

A woman was apparently refused life-saving oxygen on a plane. Sucks to be her for sure, but is one person’s death worth the attention CNN.com is giving it?

Obama is upset over Clinton playing dirty politics. Well, that’s… different.

Iraqis use animals and wheelchairs to blow things up. YOU DON’T SAY! HOW CLEVER OF THEM.

Two Cuban groups arrive in the US. That’s, uh, nice. Care to tell us WHO THEY ARE?

Apparently an 8th grade kid who was shot was bullied first. This is important to know, if you happened to be the parent of an 8th grader who is currently being bullied and is about to be shot. Which is, you know, a lot of us, I’m sure.

The elephant population of *some* nation *somewhere* in the world has more than doubled. Said nation decides killing some is cool. That’ll teach those damn elephants to, uh, procreate.

A man was trapped underwater in a backhoe–what was he doing with a backhoe underwater in the first place?

Places where lots of people died are locations living people are interested in. YOU’RE LYING! No one finds death fascinating!! You’re so full of shit, CNN!

;)

The guy who won the lottery recently almost didn’t buy a ticket this week, making the rest of us who did feel like asses for bothering.

Apparently, all the best actors aren’t American and the Academy knows it.

Credit card debt is up three times the previous measured level and most people pay their bill late. WOW, THAT IS NEWS! I AM SORRY I DOUBTED YOU, CNN!

An iguana that eats it’s own kind gets a toy lizard stuck in his throat. Ooo, they’ve got video of it! What is this America’s Funniest Home Videos? Does Tom Bergeron work for CNN now???

Someone called Anne Geddes can’t control the babies that she uses in her… project of some kind?

OH and the best bit is their top story–which comes complete with a picture of a "dead nuke plant." Check it out:

"Talk about descent. Eighteen months ago, North Korea could test fire a nuke. Now, the same plant that produced that feat has severed pipes and crumbling concrete. It’s a far cry from the place that earned President Bush’s ‘evil’ label."

Nice journalism.

"Talk about descent."??? I didn’t go to journalism school or anything, but this doesn’t strike me as a very balanced statement. Follow that up with the statement about how this plant is a "far cry" from the plant that made Bush call NoKo ‘evil’ and you’re really tipping the scales. I mean, is the reporter an expert in judging the effects of aging on nuclear plants?

SERIOUSLY, CNN, you guys need to catch a clue before more people defect to MNSBC and Fox News–not that either of those guys are doing any sort of job either.

MSNBC.com is currently reporting on:

The Oscars (important *entertainment* news)
The fact that existing-home sales have fallen to a 10-year low (important)
Clinton and Obama sharpening attacks (not important)
Computers are being taught to appreciate art (not important for top-story billing)
The spy-satellite shoot-down was successful (they should check out what CNN is reporting!)

…and a few other things that have nothing to do with the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the invasion of northern Iraq by Turkey and no mention of the Sumatran earthquake either.

Meanwhile Fox News is even worse. In a story on an American political scientist you’ve never heard of they actually use the LOLCatz method to announce he’s in league with terrorism (to see, go here: http://thepete.com/lolfoxnooz ).

Either way, we’re in a world of hurt, news-wise.

Part of a strong, healthy democracy is knowing what the hell is going on and when we know so little about the important stuff, we really can’t make the best choice for our leaders. Kinda makes you wonder if this hasn’t been going on for a while now.

I mean, look at the state of the Earth.
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