35,000 News Articles, Pope Goes for a Record

[progressoid]

Reportedly leading media agencies around the world have reported 10 times more news items about Pope John Paul II's death than the US President George W. Bush's election to the presidency the second time around

Whew! I was worried we had our priorities out of whack. I mean, what else could the media possibly report on besides an 80 yr old dying of natural causes. Hmmm, I can't think of a thing.

:silly:

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20050405&hn=18150

[DS1]

1. The Pope is global, The Shrub is a sniveling little pissant

[progressoid]

2. OK, so when the Dalai Lama dies we'll see

three weeks of 24 hr coverage until the new Dalai Lama is chosen? He's also global and not a sniveling little pissant.

[DS1]

3. Let's see if we have 3 weeks of 24/7 Pope coverage before

we start making such irrelevant comparisons, shall we?

[progressoid]

4. The Dalai Lama is irrelevant? Or is Buddhism irrelevant?

Granted, Buddhists only comprise 7% of the worlds population and Catholics comprise 17%. But as a religious leader, I think the Dalai Lama holds up pretty well.

[DS1]

5. No, your comparison is irrelevant because the Pope died Sunday

and you're assuming that the coverage will be three weeks of 24/7 coverage.

But I'd figured you wouldn't understand the point.

[progressoid]

6. Okey Dokey - but the clock is ticking...

Lesse, full time coverage started a couple days before he died, so we're already approaching week one. It's virtually impossible to turn on the TV, check Google, Yahoo or your newspaper without seeing the minutiae of Papal devotion.

Sure, three weeks may be an exaggeration, but not by much. We'll certainly have a lull while we all watch for white smoke (probably just half hour updates), but count on another week of coverage of the new improved Pope.

Yes, John Paul II was a great man, but Rove, Frist, and Delay are going to get a free ride while we spend all of our time in Vatican City. And the media couldn't ask for a better deal. Why bother with anything else when they have all of these pilgrims just waiting to be photographed and dignitaries eager to spout off vague and semi-hypocritical eulogies.

If they (the media and the administration) are lucky, the Jackson trial will be wrapping up about the time the ratings drop from Vatican City.

[Lone Pawn]

7. The difference is that there are FAR higher proportions of Catholics

in the nations that the press caters to. For a more 'fair' comparison, rank French and Italian coverage of the Pope to Thai and Sri Lankan coverage of the Dalai Lama.

[progressoid]

8. Sure, there are LOTS of Catholics in America (shrinking in Europe)

But isn't it a bit hypocritical of us to complain about the influence and coverage of evangelical Christians in America (e.g. the Teri Shaivo case) but not bat a eye when the corporate media and politicians wallow in a Catholic event.

[Lone Pawn]

9. I'll get worried if the coverage continues after the new Pope is elected.

Until then, I'm okay with it, because this IS an earth-shattering moment for many Catholics--which, since Catholicism is the world's largest religion, are a large bloc indeed. Not only that, but this is the only time it's happened in the lifetime of young Catholics--he's been around for over two decades. If this is something that comes up five times a year, I think I can sit through coverage of it.

And perhaps it's most important because of the successor. If we get a conservative Pope--more conservative than JP2--than all the terrible things he said will sound like tolerance. If we get a slightly more liberal one, it'll be one most step for Catholicism into the present. That's not insignificant.

But at the same time, I was angry about the massive religious coverage on CNN during Holy Week. The only rest from Schiavo was 'specials' on Mary and Easter. Big deal. Happens same time every year. It's not like Jesus will get more arisen or mankind will get more 'saved.' Not news.