Watch Chris Hayes Go Full Edward R. Murrow On Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Coverage (Video)
We are a little in love with this Chris Hayes clip for his earnest pissed-offedness at what 24-hour cable news can do with a story when the demand for information far outstrips the supply of actual new information. With Flight 370, there's only so many times you can say, "Nope, still don't know anything new." And so if you don't report on anything else in the world, your network may very well end up with Don Lemon seriously asking if a black hole ate the airliner.
And also, good on Hayes for pointing out that while the Lemon party is incredibly dumb, it's also fairly harmless, while agenda-driven speculation -- it's terrorism! Start strip-searching all Muslim passengers! -- tips over into propaganda and paranoia. We like it when Chris Hayes gets passionate about the news business, and this is a heck of a good rant against using a real tragedy to flog paranoia about political boogeymen. He's not quite Edward R. Murrow taking on McCarthyism, but he's pretty good.
There is a cross stitch tapestry hanging in the newsrooms of all the major cable news outlets and it reads: "If you don't have anything good to say, make shit up".
<i>Lemon Party</i>? Sounds like a wonderful theme for my next Bible Study Club monthly meeting. I hope the phrase isn&#039;t copyrighted. &#039;Scuse me while I search it on the Intertubes....