This is the News?

So I watch a lot of news.  It is on TV in the background most days. As I've stated recently, I am also frequently disappointed by what passes for the news.  I know going in to watch a show like Piers Morgan, which I don't watch by the way, that I can expect ground shattering interviews with great minds like Lindsay Lohan (please take tongue and plant firmly in cheek). I mean the guy was a scandal journalist and a judge on American Idol.  What I don't want to see is a true news program used in the same manner. But alas, they are.

On Sundays, I watch This Week and Meet the Press, unless one of them has been preempted by something exciting like golf (please take tongue and plant firmly in cheek). These two shows are political current events show.  They are suppose to discuss the week events and interview both sides of the political aisle. While they seldom challenge idiocy on either left and right, they do at least try to live up to the idea they are politically oriented.

And then it happened...well, it's not actually the first time I've seen it, but the first time I've written about it.  On This Week, we had a riveting discussion with the creators of Homeland about season three.  I've not watched Homeland, but I've heard it is good.  Not the point.  It is that a political news show was used blatantly for promotion. What is interesting (please take tongue and plant firmly in cheek) is that ABC who does This Week is owned by Disney and Showtime who does Homeland is owned by CBS.  I suppose that cross-promotional might be interesting unless, of course, it makes one think about how little difference there is between networks these days.

As I've said, this isn't new.  I know that Chris Matthews promoted Silver Linings Playbook. Other shows promoted Lincoln and had Doris Kearns Goodwin, whose book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln inspired the movie Lincoln, as a frequent  as a guest commentator during the election.  Still, the proliferation of promotional pieces of interviewing movie stars for their perspective on the political situation in the Middle East is about as useful as interviewing me about the life and times of Michael Jackson.  I do understand the importance of Silver Linings Playbook being on Hardball (please take tongue and plant firmly in cheek).

Maybe Piers will find out what Lindsay Lohan thinks about drug policy (please take tongue and plant firmly in cheek)....