Michael Jackson’s arrest is the number one cable news story of the day.
Michael Jackson took center stage in the media Thursday, dominating cable news coverage for most of the day far ahead of a bombing in Turkey, protests over President Bush’s visit to London and rioting in Miami over free-trade talks.
Some would attribute this to a grand media conspiracy to divert attention away from the anti-Bush protests, etc. I disagree. Jacko has captured the attention of cable news simply because he will bring in higher ratings. Yes, it’s about the ratings.
A majority of Americans care more about Jacko than they do about anti-Bush protests–of course they’ll never admit to as much–and as more and more viewers seek entertainment along with their news, Jacko will win out over protests any day of the week, even on Friday.