Making a spectacle of itself

The MSM's outrage about Cheney's hunting accident highlights something that has become increasingly obvious in the past few years: more and more often, the news that most excites the Press involves the Press. That is, the Press is no longer merely the conduit for bringing information to the public, it is an actor. There's no doubt that this can be traced to Watergate, of course, but it's now gone from the magnificent (in its own way) to the petty. I'm on my way out to a meeting, so won't take time to hyperlink here, but just think of the palpitating Press coverage about Rathergate (or, if you prefer, Memogate), the Valerie Plame affair (which had the NY Times arguing both sides of the law), the NY Times' Jayson Blair scandal, the New Republic's Stephen Glass scandal, the excitement about that poor reporter who was hit by a bomb (as if that defined the status of the war itself), and now the Press' unmitigated rage at the VP's decision to let a local paper get the scoop about the hunting incident (and I concede the incident was news; I just think the press has turned itself into the real news of the story). Talking to Technorati: Media [Please scroll down, or click here, to vote in the Conservative Slogan Contest. Your votes matter.]