Trying times

[Guest]

In a week of major stories about the global economy I'm astounded - and much irritated - by the wall-to-wall coverage of the Jackson doctor's trial on the news channels. Everything else has been shunted aside for this unedifying soap opera. I've never been happy with televised trials and this merely confirms my feelings on the issue. Grrr.

[teamsaint]

distraction from the real issues is their key weapon.

once we realise that everything becomes simpler.

[greenilex]

Not so much bread and circuses as show trials galore...wall-to-wall "justice" for celebs.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The OJ Simpson charade went on for ages...

[scottycelt]

Unlike Mahlerei I'm not astounded at anything these days in the media, including the BBC, but I certainly share his irritation.

Televised trials (from America in particular) are nauseating in the extreme. I don't know anything about the deceased in this case ... apart from the fact that he was a rather eccentric-looking-and-behaving pop star.

Blame, blame, blame ... someone has to be blamed for every mishap and then paraded and humiliated in public for worldwide entertainment. He/she, in this case the dead man's former personal doctor, will then likely end up in prison for a very, very long time.

The comparison with political 'show trials' is perfectly valid, imv, and these wretched events are surely thoroughly incompatible with any sense of common decency and taste.

[BBMmk2]

I am quite aghast by this coverage, of a nonsensical preocupation with celebritism, which seems to be permeating it's way through almost everything, these days.

[Mandryka]

This situation always arises when there is a big 'hard news' story in the headlines which many members of the public will struggle to understand, and whose import is depressing for everyone.

Consequently, a 'soft' story like this assumes a prominencce it might not have enjoyed in other circumstances.

A similar thing happened with Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross/Andrew Sachs a couple of years back.

But, I agree, it's an irritant: not being related to him, or having a financial interest in him, I couldn't care less about Michael Jackson.