Paris Hilton...really?

Alright, I know this is a bit of an unusual first "official blog entry" for a blog talking about GLBT youth issues, but I just have to get this off my chest.... What is the deal with all of the coverage Paris Hilton is getting?

No offense to the Hilton family or to fans of Paris, or even to fans of entertainment news...but do we really need to devote this much media coverage to a celebrity's brief stay in prison?

If she had cured cancer and in doing so accidentally ran over a puppy and was then arrested and sent to prison amongst public outcry, then I could maybe see this coverage being justified. Imagine it, the controversy of "she killed a puppy" "yes, but she cured cancer while doing it" - that could be newsworthy. The cure would be worth the media attention alone. But Paris didn't cure cancer, in fact, I'm having a hard time coming up with anything she has done except star in a...let's face it...pretty bad TV show.

This would sting a little less if it was a slow news cycle. However, does anyone really believe that the press has a lack of stories to cover? I was depressed with the number of stories they weren't covering before and the lack of investigative journalism that exists right now. This latest example of the deteriorating quality of the mainstream press should be of serious concern.

The next time you're watching one of the 24 hour news channels, or even your local news station (how they can even justify showing this is way beyond me), and the latest Paris Watch Update comes on consider sending them an email with a list of news stories you'd prefer them to cover. If nothing else, you can say that you're doing it as a favor to me because I've been pushed to the point where I've just stopped watching them altogether...

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go cleanse myself of the dirty feeling I get just talking about this whole "news" story.