Attention Fit For A...Pope?



Media reports over the past few days have been nothing short of astounding. Somehow, newspapers and TV stations have found a way to make the death of one man into an international crisis. Right on the heels of the Terri Schiavo frenzy, the story-hungry newshounds are devoting pages to the pope. Perhaps this death warranted media coverage at this astronomically high level for one or two days, but the events preceding to, and following the actual death are certainly not deserving of this. Perhaps it is because the American public is sick of hearing about the War in Iraq, or possibly it is because the election is over and politics have fallen into the first of their three and a half years (between elections) of being labeled "boring", but the media is grasping for a story and it found one.

The interesting part of this whole ordeal is that it will not stop. The soonest that the cardinals will begin the election process for a new Pope is a little over a week away. Pope John Paul II's funeral (to be held in St. Peter's) is slated to occur on Friday, leaving us with another two weeks in our "Pope-a-thon". However, out of respect for the Catholic Church, and all 1,000,000,000 of its followers, I will tolerate this coverage, especially since it is somewhat of a break from the excruciatingly personal nature of the Terri Schaivo proceedings. This is an event that will be landmarked in the history of the Church. However, just because I am willing to agree to put up with this lunacy does not mean that I will allow the media to escape unscathed. The American media in general (although sadly I am a part of the media, being a blogger) is excessively invasive and obsessive in almost all circumstances. From the terrible wrongs perpetrated against Ms. Schaivo and her family to the 24-hour-per-day election coverage that we all were forced to endure, the media has reversed fields from what it once was. There was a time in American history when the media was more representative of freedom than America itself. "Freedom of the press" was exercised with skill, pride, and integrity. However, now the media does not just report the news, they control what we know and what de don't and in many ways, they control what we think about and how we feel. I can think of no better example for this than the last 2 weeks' obsessions with the Pope and with Terri Schaivo.

Hopefully, this will all die down over time. For right now, I am resigned to sitting back and watching the religious proceedings with minimal interest. Perhaps it is because I am not Catholic, but I can't seem to find myself caring about this story. It should have been wrapped up with one day of media coverage, with another after the funeral, and more on the day that the new pope is elected. Right now, the frenzy is in full force,a nd I feel powerless to stop it. However, we are making history right now, and that will be the only thing that the textbooks remember.