7/7/94
The New York Times
New York, NY 10036
Dear Sirs,
Rumor has it, “More Americans get their news from ABC than from any other source.” If that’s true, then I am everyman. Actually, I don’t discriminate. As an infotainment junky, I tape and watch all the network magazine shows: 60 MINUTES, DATELINE NBC, 20/20, etc. Though I kid myself about having standards beneath which I will not limbo (e.g. tabloid shows like HARD COPY and A CURRENT AFFAIR), I’ll admit that if a line still exists at all, differentiating them from the programs I consume, it’s becoming as blurred as the one separating church and state in the new Christian South.
On Monday, I began receiving home delivery of your newspaper. I signed up several weeks ago outside the barbershop at a time when I was feeling particularly grown-up and responsible. Consequently, the paper’s arrival came as no surprise, and yet I feel as if I’ve been given a kind of divine shove in light of this O.J. thing. Don’t get the wrong idea -- I’m not some moralistic party-pooper who won’t slow down and gawk at a grisly three-car pile up on the interstate. Quite the contrary. In fact, I believe that the single greatest moment in the history of live television was the coverage of Mr. Simpson’s white Bronco in slow flight down a closed California freeway (complete with mobile phone link, police motorcade and throngs of curious well-wishers). In a way, it’s comforting to see that despite America’s declining financial position in the global community, and our creeping transition into a service economy, by God, when it comes to elevating the bizarre to surreal proportions, we’re still the undisputed champions.
This week it seems the O.J. story is "all the news that’s fit to tape." From PRIMETIME LIVE, to NOW, forty-five minutes out of each hour is Simpson, Simpson and more Simpson, hashed and rehashed from every conceivable angle, second, third and fourth guessed by a dozen celebrity lawyers. That’s okay with me because I can always hit the fast forward button and use the free time to do something constructive with my life. Most of the T.V. news is devoted to O.J. as well, but even that I can grudgingly accept.
Last night, however, things went too far! There was no ABC EVENING NEWS at all, just live coverage of the hearing. No apology was made. Peter Jennings didn’t even stick his head into the corner of the frame to make it look semi-official. I want to imagine that Peter was ashamed, but more likely he was just busy having a low-cal dinner with Kathleen Sullivan or out on the road getting a jump on the drive home. I couldn’t believe it. They even preempted JEOPARDY! Is there no such thing as decency left? Was this the one day nothing else happened in the whole world? Had the entire heretofore, newsworthy planet and its inhabitants ceased to exist altogether? On tenterhooks, I scanned the channels to no avail. Suddenly, in a burst of inspiration, I grabbed the newspaper and read. Instantly my sense of security was restored. Yes! The world was still there. Apparently, various people and governments had the bad taste to go right ahead making headlines that had nothing to do with an ex-football player suspected of murder. And though the reporting of this lesser news was clearly not video grade, still it somehow stuck to paper. Thank heavens for the printed page.
Sincerely,
Jake Daehler
246-9792
WGA Registered 2010
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