Kids make me laugh. More accurately, little kids make me laugh and why not?
When they do things that are silly or funny or often just plain wrong, I smile and sometimes giggle, or even once in a great while, I will bust out in hysterics and fall to the floor.
(A heads up though, kids…you better be talented and have done your homework if you want to see that happen.)
I constantly break the parental rule of reacting when the toddler or the youngster misbehaves or mouths off in that innocent yet evil child manner, much to the chagrin and annoyance of the kid’s moms or dads.
“Please don’t encourage him.” “Just ignore her, we don’t want her to think that’s okay or acceptable.”
Too late.
The child’s reaction to my reaction is usually worth the scorn I get from the adults. Plus, the kids, they do love attention. Children thrive on it.
My kid is 22 now but there are some great memories, some involving the cat when she was a toddler.
(Shut up, the cat lived a full life, and the evidence still lives on my Instagram if you’re really curious)
Funny is funny, real is real and I’m getting older. Besides, you are not supposed to stifle a sneeze either, right?
Point?
Kanye (Ye) West is not a child, and we, the news media, are not his parents or his parents’ friends.
In many ways, though, we in the news can be accused of being the bad adult reacting to the child, but in this circumstance, there may actually be some harm being done.
Mr. West is also not funny…except perhaps in the clever jokes made about him but that praise and the credit goes to others.
West is an adult and a businessperson and an artist.
He is an entertainment figure.
He says things, he does things, and he waits for the response. We, the news media, are often the cause of that response or at least the magnitude of that reaction.
If the lady who owns the shoe store down the block did and said the same things, maybe a half dozen people would know and fewer would do anything but shake their heads and keep walking.
We, as in us, are making it seem like we care because we constantly report it. We give Mr. West more attention not any less for the content of his platforms but equally for his antics.
Unlike Alex Jones, West is not on trial or involved in significant legal proceedings where the names and faces of others have become public or associated. This could always change but for the time being, we may draw a division of sorts in news coverage of what West says and does and what Alex Jones has involved himself in recently and over the years.
(A couple of months ago, I maintained that we should not turn our backs on Mr. Jones’s impromptu news conferences on the courthouse steps during his civil trial as they were part and parcel of coverage of the legal proceedings. I still see no reason to alter the position.)
These are both men who want attention and if you strip away the coverings and decorations in the way they choose to go about achieving notoriety, they have significant similarities.
This is not and should never be about censorship or ignoring what’s happening. It goes back to impact and interest. The two are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they work as a team. The news media can try and predict the impact of a story, but the interest must belong to the audience.
The easy answer or rationale for what we do cannot always be because it involves a celebrity.
It’s too easy.
There will be instances where coverage of Kanye (Ye) West will be timely and appropriate for regular news programming but most of the time, we can exceed even our own expectations.
The truth is we put this crap on the air because we think people don’t know or want any better.
I say we’re wrong.
Save what this guy says and does and what people like him do for the outlets that make their money and reputations covering this type of thing.
It’s costing us too much in the long run.
Bill Zito has devoted most of his work efforts to broadcast news since 1999. He made the career switch after serving a dozen years as a police officer on both coasts. Splitting the time between Radio and TV, he’s worked for ABC News and Fox News, News 12 New York , The Weather Channel and KIRO and KOMO in Seattle. He writes, edits and anchors for Audacy’s WTIC-AM in Hartford and lives in New England. You can find him on Twitter @BillZitoNEWS.
