What do the premature ‘death’ of Gordon Lightfoot and the Kardashians have in common? The problem with today’s news media, says comedian Ron James.
Last February, for about half an hour, Canadians mourned the loss of folk icon Gordon Lightfoot thanks to a tweet that reported him dead. Respectable news organizations across the country jumped on the story and reported the death as fact until Lightfoot himself set the record straight with a phone call to a Toronto television station (he had been at the dentist’s when word of his passing spread like wildfire).
The media had egg on their face. In the competitive pressure cooker of the 24-hour news cycle, many organizations failed to live up to journalism’s First Commandment: confirm the story with more than one source.
As James puts it, “Last year, they said Gordie Lightfoot was dead when he wasn’t. And why did it happen? Because some twit tweeting on Twitter said it and some twit in the newsroom thought it was twue.”
With so much airtime to fill, the media give inordinate attention to celebrity news (Demi Moore divorces Ashton Kutcher, anyone?), another irritant for James.
“When it comes to celebrity worship, we’ve buried the needle on that speedometer, baby. How else can you explain the appeal of the Krdashians? .. Their shows have spread faster than an outbreak of the clap on spring break.”
The Ron James Show airs weekly on CBC TV, Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET. He’s on Facebook and Twitter.