Online Media Cultist

Rosie O’Donnell is leaving The View. Apparently she couldn’t come to a contractual agreement with ABC and therefore will leave the show in mid-June.

Why do I know this? Because of the screaming headlines all across the major mainstream media Interwebs.

ABC News, on its bright red Breaking News banner: Rosie O’Donnell Will Leave “The View” In Mid-June After Failing To Reach New Contract Agreement

Fox News, top story, above-the-fold: ABC Ends Rosie ‘View’

CNN, number one Top Story: Rosie O’Donnell leaving ‘The View’

MSNBC and CBS News also run the story above-the-fold.

I’ll ask my question again, but in a slightly different way: why do I know about this breaking development in the Rosie O’Donnell saga? I take it that the angle is that Rosie is apparently a “raunchy” and “controversial” figure, so therefore updating the public on developments in her career are, for these news organizations, paramount in importance.

But it’s not very important, is it? The View is a daytime talk show where four female hosts gab about the news of the day and occasionally interview someone. It’s light infotainment.

That all of the online outlets for the big television news networks chose to run this story loud and proud – particularly as breaking news on ABC – is telling. Sadly, it’s infotainment coverage of an infotainment television program presented as the-most-important-thing-you-should-take-note-of-thissecond.

No wonder why so many people now turn to the blogosphere and online independent news sources first for news these days.