Tabloid Mentality

I happened to catch a bit of the interview Anderson Cooper did with Prince Harry (Does he have a last name? Is he a Prince anymore?).

Despite the bully pulpit he had for the interview, Harry did make a good point about the British media. Or is it tabloid media? Is there a distinction to be made there, or is news coverage in Great Britain all thrown into one pot?

In any event, British media are relentless, for sure, but at times terribly boorish, trying to “get a rise’ and elicit anger, a ruthless pursuit of the lurid, bottom-of-the-barrel cheap, trivial, and salacious. The line of questioning often seems sophomoric and overly personal.

There’s the inherent uselessness and breathless coverage of the royal family and its constant sappy drama, but this mindset and nature of questioning seems to seep into stories one might think would have more real-world impact and consequence. With some exceptions, it seems like they don’t know how to ask good questions. It’s only slightly more weighty and informative than the 30-second sideline updates and brief halftime questioning of head coaches that we suffer during NFL broadcasts.