Go, James, Go!

[Media Rant] Judge James Shumate has ordered KUTV's Katie Baker to produce, as punishment for contempt, a segment on an issue--any issue--that needs some attention. Presumably this will require more effort than producing the usual TV news blather about the weather, some security-camera footage from Minnesota or the hazards of common household objects: ("It looks like an ordinary vegetable peeler. But what you don't know could kill you! Details at 10.")

Nothing against Baker personally; she didn't invent the TV-news ratings game. It's just that, as the line between news and entertainment has become ever more obliterated, the electorate has become ever more susceptible to the worst kinds of demagoguery: Now, for many voters, the best choice is the one that provides the most doubleplusbellyfeel. (Disclosure: City Weekly has A&E and humor features. But they're clearly labeled.)

We could used to more of this kind of "judicial activism," though. The days when you could tune in every evening and get solid news and analysis from people who paid more attention in journalism school than in charm school seem so long ago. (Brandon Burt)